Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) Stake Decreased by Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund decreased its position in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 6.0% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 3,646 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 234 shares during the quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Booking were worth $12,933,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Activest Wealth Management acquired a new position in Booking in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Naples Money Management LLC acquired a new position in Booking in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Booking in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Booking in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Bourgeon Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Booking in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Institutional investors own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Booking Trading Up 1.8 %

Booking stock traded up $60.72 on Tuesday, reaching $3,523.72. 52,843 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 269,562. The stock has a market cap of $120.41 billion, a PE ratio of 29.35, a PEG ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.40. Booking Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $2,456.93 and a twelve month high of $3,918.00. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $3,564.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $3,374.83.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The business services provider reported $32.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $29.72 by $2.28. The firm had revenue of $4.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.71 billion. Booking had a net margin of 20.08% and a negative return on equity of 751.49%. The business’s revenue was up 18.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $24.74 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 175.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 8th were given a dividend of $8.75 per share. This represents a $35.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is 29.67%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on BKNG shares. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of Booking in a research report on Tuesday, January 9th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $4,150.00 price target on the stock. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of Booking from $3,450.00 to $4,200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on shares of Booking from $3,900.00 to $3,800.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Booking from $3,560.00 to $3,950.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 23rd. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their price objective on shares of Booking from $3,600.00 to $4,100.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Seven equities 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $3,723.41.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 4,302 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,422.75, for a total transaction of $14,724,670.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 33,548 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $114,826,417. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, Director Radakovich Lynn Vojvodich sold 22 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,583.07, for a total value of $78,827.54. Following the sale, the director now owns 211 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $756,027.77. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 4,302 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,422.75, for a total transaction of $14,724,670.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 33,548 shares in the company, valued at approximately $114,826,417. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 5,461 shares of company stock valued at $18,815,825. Insiders own 0.15% of the company’s stock.

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.