Unique Wealth Strategies LLC Acquires Shares of 994 Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG)

Unique Wealth Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 994 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,525,000. Booking makes up 2.4% of Unique Wealth Strategies LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest position.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of BKNG. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Booking by 2,479.0% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 116,777 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $414,234,000 after purchasing an additional 112,249 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Booking during the fourth quarter valued at $3,774,850,000. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. boosted its position in Booking by 139.8% during the third quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 65,179 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $201,166,000 after acquiring an additional 37,994 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in Booking by 41.8% during the third quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 101,736 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $317,313,000 after acquiring an additional 30,015 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rathbones Group PLC boosted its position in Booking by 161.5% during the third quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 39,215 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $120,937,000 after acquiring an additional 24,219 shares during the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Booking Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:BKNG traded up $18.60 on Friday, reaching $3,521.08. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 146,026 shares, compared to its average volume of 193,606. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $3,547.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $3,383.62. The company has a market cap of $119.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.85, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.40. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 52-week low of $2,456.93 and a 52-week high of $3,918.00.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 22nd. The business services provider reported $32.00 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $29.72 by $2.28. Booking had a net margin of 20.08% and a negative return on equity of 751.49%. The company had revenue of $4.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.71 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $24.74 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 176.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Booking Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on BKNG. Susquehanna upped their price target on shares of Booking from $3,600.00 to $4,100.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Monday, February 26th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Booking in a research note on Tuesday, January 9th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $4,150.00 price objective for the company. Edward Jones reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Booking in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $3,850.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Booking from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Seven 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 MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $3,723.41.

Insider Transactions at Booking

In other Booking news, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 4,302 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 33,548 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $114,826,417. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Director Radakovich Lynn Vojvodich sold 59 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,700.00, for a total value of $218,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 289 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,069,300. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 4,302 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,422.75, for a total transaction of $14,724,670.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 33,548 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $114,826,417. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 5,461 shares of company stock valued at $18,815,825 in the last 90 days. 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.