Erste Asset Management GmbH Acquires New Shares in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG)

Erste Asset Management GmbH bought a new position in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm bought 11,012 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $46,667,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Booking by 3.3% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 418,742 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,763,797,000 after buying an additional 13,429 shares during the period. Ninety One UK Ltd boosted its position in Booking by 3.1% during the 2nd quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 358,720 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,421,069,000 after acquiring an additional 10,889 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in shares of Booking by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 296,599 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,249,311,000 after acquiring an additional 11,649 shares during the period. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Booking by 342,723.5% in the 3rd quarter. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 233,120 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $981,929,000 after acquiring an additional 233,052 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Booking by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 209,927 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $884,238,000 after purchasing an additional 793 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Booking Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ BKNG opened at $5,201.98 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $4,599.47 and its 200-day simple moving average is $4,091.65. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $3,079.50 and a 12 month high of $5,237.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $172.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.30, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.38.

Booking Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 6th will be given a $8.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 6th. This represents a $35.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.67%. Booking’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.75%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Booking from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 9th. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on shares of Booking from $4,100.00 to $5,500.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Argus lowered shares of Booking from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. DA Davidson raised their target price on shares of Booking from $4,100.00 to $5,005.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Booking from $4,200.00 to $4,600.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $4,820.50.

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.