Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) Director Sells 1,125 Shares

Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 1,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.00, for a total value of $216,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 16,508 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,169,536. This trade represents a 6.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Booking Price Performance

Booking stock traded up $1.99 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $201.30. 7,424,332 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,636,099. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $173.51 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $177.58. The company has a market capitalization of $155.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.48, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.07. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 52-week low of $150.14 and a 52-week high of $231.80.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.06. Booking had a negative return on equity of 117.14% and a net margin of 22.23%.The company had revenue of $5.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.52 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.99 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 16.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BKNG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Booking from $259.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Booking in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Argus set a $210.00 price objective on Booking and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $215.00 price objective (down from $240.00) on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a research report on Friday, May 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $227.05.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Booking

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in BKNG. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Booking by 34.9% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 251 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,249,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Booking in the 4th quarter valued at about $209,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its position in Booking by 25.0% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 165 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $955,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its stake in Booking by 50.0% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 87 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $504,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. Finally, Osterweis Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Booking during the second quarter worth about $179,000. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Booking

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Unusually strong options activity provided a bullish market signal, as investors purchased 21,239 BKNG call options—about 31% above typical call volume. Call buying can indicate expectations for further share-price gains, although it does not guarantee a positive outcome.
• Positive Sentiment: A long-term growth analysis highlighted Booking’s position in the global online travel market and its potential to deliver market-beating returns. The article points to growth-oriented investment characteristics as a reason investors may continue to favor the stock. Why Booking Holdings is a top growth stock for the long term
• Neutral Sentiment: Booking is scheduled to report earnings next week, and Wall Street expects year-over-year earnings growth. The report will be a key near-term catalyst, particularly as the company’s latest quarter showed revenue growth and an EPS beat. Booking Holdings reports next week
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader travel indicators remain constructive: KAYAK reported that French families continue searching for summer air travel, though they are favoring shorter trips. This supports ongoing travel demand but offers limited direct insight into Booking’s bookings or earnings.
• Negative Sentiment: A Zacks analysis said BKNG does not currently have the combination of factors it considers favorable for a likely earnings beat. That caution could weigh on the stock ahead of results, especially if expectations for earnings growth are already reflected in the valuation. Booking earnings expectations
• Negative Sentiment: Bank of America launched a competing travel center powered by Rocket Travel by Agoda, offering nearly one million travel options. The expanded competitor offering may increase pressure on Booking’s customer acquisition, pricing and market share, although the immediate financial impact is uncertain.

About Booking

Booking Holdings Inc is a global online travel company that operates a portfolio of consumer brands and technology platforms that facilitate the search for and booking of travel services. The company’s businesses focus on accommodations, transportation and related travel services through consumer-facing websites and apps as well as partner distribution channels. Booking Holdings was originally founded as Priceline in the late 1990s and adopted the Booking Holdings name in 2018; it is headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut.

Its core offerings include online reservations for hotels, vacation rentals and other lodging; flight and car rental search and booking; and ancillary services that support travel planning and on-property experiences.