Empirical Finance LLC Has $5.35 Million Stock Position in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG)

Empirical Finance LLC raised its stake in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,270 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the quarter. Empirical Finance LLC’s holdings in Booking were worth $5,349,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Booking in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its position in Booking by 133.3% in the second quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 7 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 4 shares during the period. POM Investment Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Booking during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Kings Path Partners LLC bought a new position in Booking during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, West Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Booking in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Institutional investors own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BKNG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. B. Riley boosted their target price on shares of Booking from $4,650.00 to $5,100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Booking from $4,900.00 to $5,200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Booking from $3,976.00 to $4,173.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Booking from $4,500.00 to $5,100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. 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 research report on Friday, October 25th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $4,749.83.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Paulo Pisano sold 100 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,787 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,722,379.07. This trade represents a 2.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Booking Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:BKNG opened at $4,970.98 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $4,311.61 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $3,966.44. Booking Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $3,079.50 and a one year high of $5,069.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $164.54 billion, a PE ratio of 33.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.38.

Booking Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 6th will be given a dividend of $8.75 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 6th. This represents a $35.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.70%. Booking’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.75%.

Booking Company 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.