China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. Raises Position in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG)

China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 16.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,218 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the period. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Booking were worth $5,130,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in BKNG. CreativeOne Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Booking in the first quarter worth $537,000. BDF Gestion acquired a new stake in shares of Booking in the second quarter worth $6,897,000. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL acquired a new position in shares of Booking in the 1st quarter valued at about $519,000. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in Booking by 11.8% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,631 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $10,423,000 after buying an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Claro Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Booking by 16,668.9% in the 3rd quarter. Claro Advisors LLC now owns 15,092 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $63,569,000 after purchasing an additional 15,002 shares in the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Booking Trading Down 0.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ BKNG opened at $4,347.59 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $145.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.40. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $2,756.13 and a 12 month high of $4,395.00. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $4,071.40 and a 200-day moving average of $3,856.08.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The business services provider reported $41.90 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $39.22 by $2.68. Booking had a negative return on equity of 200.87% and a net margin of 22.46%. The company had revenue of $5.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.77 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $37.62 EPS. Booking’s revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 177.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 6th were issued a dividend of $8.75 per share. This represents a $35.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 6th. Booking’s payout ratio is 24.50%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Paulo Pisano sold 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,887.61, for a total transaction of $388,761.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,787 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,722,379.07. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on BKNG. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on Booking from $4,275.00 to $4,105.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $3,900.00 target price on shares of Booking in a research note on Monday, August 5th. B. Riley dropped their price target on shares of Booking from $4,900.00 to $4,650.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Benchmark cut their target price on shares of Booking from $4,700.00 to $4,600.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Wedbush increased their price objective on Booking from $3,900.00 to $4,750.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Booking currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $4,256.89.

Booking Profile

Booking Holdings Inc, formerly The Priceline Group Inc, is a provider of travel and restaurant online reservation and related services. The Company, through its online travel companies (OTCs), connects consumers wishing to make travel reservations with providers of travel services across the world. It offers consumers an array of accommodation reservations (including hotels, bed and breakfasts, hostels, apartments, vacation rentals and other properties) through its Booking.com, priceline.com and agoda.com brands.