Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) Shares Sold by Paragon Capital Management Inc.

Paragon Capital Management Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 8.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 433 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 38 shares during the quarter. Booking accounts for approximately 1.3% of Paragon Capital Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Paragon Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Booking were worth $1,824,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of BKNG. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. lifted its position in shares of Booking by 1.7% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 1,197 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $5,042,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Sunpointe LLC acquired a new stake in Booking during the 3rd quarter valued at $253,000. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Booking during the 3rd quarter worth $202,000. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Booking in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Finally, Regatta Capital Group LLC boosted its position in Booking by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Regatta Capital Group LLC now owns 885 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,727,000 after buying an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on BKNG shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Booking from $4,000.00 to $4,200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and set a $3,590.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a report on Monday, October 7th. Benchmark reduced their target price on Booking from $4,700.00 to $4,600.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. StockNews.com raised shares of Booking from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on shares of Booking from $4,275.00 to $4,105.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $4,130.18.

Insider Buying and Selling at Booking

In other news, insider Paulo Pisano sold 100 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,887.61, for a total value of $388,761.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 3,787 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,722,379.07. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.12% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Booking Stock Performance

Booking stock opened at $4,337.27 on Thursday. Booking Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $2,733.04 and a one year high of $4,371.17. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $3,942.66 and a 200-day simple moving average of $3,811.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $147.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.40.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The business services provider reported $41.90 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $39.22 by $2.68. The firm had revenue of $5.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.77 billion. Booking had a net margin of 22.46% and a negative return on equity of 200.87%. Booking’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $37.62 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 176.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 6th were given a $8.75 dividend. This represents a $35.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 6th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.25%.

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.