GM Advisory Group LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG)

GM Advisory Group LLC increased its position in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 73.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 130 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. GM Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in Booking were worth $648,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BKNG. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd grew its holdings in Booking by 29.0% in the fourth quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 2,675 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $13,297,000 after purchasing an additional 602 shares during the period. Vinva Investment Management Ltd lifted its position in shares of Booking by 10.1% during the 4th quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd now owns 2,042 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $10,191,000 after buying an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. Bestgate Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Booking in the 4th quarter valued at $234,000. Stokes Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in Booking in the 4th quarter worth $219,000. Finally, OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd raised its position in Booking by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd now owns 10,968 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $54,494,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on BKNG. Cfra upgraded shares of Booking from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Booking from $5,500.00 to $6,000.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Bank of America increased their target price on Booking from $4,850.00 to $5,522.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Robert W. Baird began coverage on Booking in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $5,850.00 target price on the stock. Finally, B. Riley boosted their price target on Booking from $5,700.00 to $6,000.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $5,370.43.

Booking Price Performance

Shares of BKNG stock opened at $4,591.89 on Thursday. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 1-year low of $3,180.00 and a 1-year high of $5,337.24. The firm has a market cap of $150.68 billion, a PE ratio of 26.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a 50-day moving average of $4,797.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of $4,690.53.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The business services provider reported $41.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $35.82 by $5.73. The firm had revenue of $5.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.18 billion. Booking had a net margin of 24.78% and a negative return on equity of 159.34%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 209.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Booking Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a $9.60 dividend. This represents a $38.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This is an increase from Booking’s previous quarterly dividend of $8.75. Booking’s payout ratio is currently 22.19%.

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.