Certuity LLC Trims Stock Position in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG)

Certuity LLC decreased its holdings in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 18.2% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 279 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 62 shares during the quarter. Certuity LLC’s holdings in Booking were worth $1,105,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Precision Wealth Strategies LLC raised its holdings in Booking by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Precision Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 303 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,075,000 after purchasing an additional 5 shares during the period. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Booking by 45.2% in the fourth quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 151 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $536,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the period. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of Booking by 28.2% during the 4th quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 150 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $532,000 after buying an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Qsemble Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Booking during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,032,000. Finally, Jump Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Booking in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,107,000. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Booking Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:BKNG opened at $3,731.35 on Friday. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $2,733.04 and a 12 month high of $4,144.32. The company has a market capitalization of $126.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.98, a PEG ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 1.40. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $3,773.69 and its 200 day moving average is $3,699.80.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The business services provider reported $41.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $39.22 by $2.68. Booking had a negative return on equity of 200.87% and a net margin of 22.46%. The business had revenue of $5.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.77 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $37.62 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 177.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 6th will be paid a $8.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 6th. This represents a $35.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.94%. Booking’s payout ratio is 26.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on BKNG shares. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Booking from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $4,350.00 to $4,200.00 in a research report on Wednesday. StockNews.com cut Booking from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on Booking from $4,600.00 to $4,200.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Bank of America decreased their target price on Booking from $3,950.00 to $3,750.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, 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 note on Friday, August 2nd. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $4,064.21.

Insider Transactions at Booking

In other news, insider Paulo Pisano sold 100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,887.61, for a total value of $388,761.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,787 shares in the company, valued at $14,722,379.07. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Booking news, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4,067.65, for a total transaction of $3,050,737.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 24,721 shares in the company, valued at approximately $100,556,375.65. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Paulo Pisano sold 100 shares of Booking stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,887.61, for a total value of $388,761.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,787 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,722,379.07. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

About Booking

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.