Rathbones Group PLC Trims Stake in Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

Rathbones Group PLC cut its holdings in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 27.1% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 47,307 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 17,601 shares during the period. Rathbones Group PLC’s holdings in Booking were worth $199,178,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of Booking by 34.9% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 251 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,249,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter worth about $209,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in Booking by 25.0% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 165 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $955,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its stake in Booking by 50.0% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 87 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $504,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. Finally, Osterweis Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Booking during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $179,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Booking

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains favorable. UBS raised its BKNG price target from $249 to $266 and reiterated a “Buy” rating. BMO Capital also maintained a “Buy” rating, while the broader analyst consensus remains “Moderate Buy” with an average target near $227, well above recent trading levels. UBS analyst update BMO Capital rating
• Positive Sentiment: Booking’s latest reported quarter provided a solid operating base: adjusted earnings exceeded expectations, revenue reached $5.53 billion and increased 16.2% year over year. Investors may look for that momentum to continue in the second quarter.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are focused on second-quarter room nights, gross bookings, revenue, adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow. Results and management guidance will likely determine whether the recent weakness is temporary or signals a broader slowdown. Booking Q2 key metrics preview
• Neutral Sentiment: Directors Robert Mylod Jr. and Vanessa Ames Wittman sold shares worth approximately $1 million and $216,000, respectively. Both trades were executed under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, reducing their significance as a current signal about management’s outlook. SEC insider transaction filing
• Negative Sentiment: The earnings outlook is cautious: analysts expect slower second-quarter growth as geopolitical and travel disruptions weigh on demand, while Connected Trip and artificial-intelligence investments may not fully offset the tougher environment. A miss on bookings, margins or guidance could increase volatility. Booking Q2 earnings outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pressure is increasing as Bank of America launched a travel center offering hotels, flights, car rentals and activities, while other platforms are also targeting Booking’s customers and supplier relationships.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on BKNG shares. Gordon Haskett upped their price target on Booking from $217.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Booking from $249.00 to $266.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Piper Sandler set a $195.00 target price on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. DA Davidson dropped their target price on shares of Booking from $240.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Booking in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Booking currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $227.23.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Peter J. Millones sold 62,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.67, for a total transaction of $10,229,375.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 425,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,572,025.25. The trade was a 12.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Robert J. Mylod, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $1,000,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 16,000 shares in the company, valued at $3,200,000. The trade was a 23.81% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 68,625 shares of company stock valued at $11,445,375. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Booking Stock Performance

Shares of BKNG opened at $192.90 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $175.71 and a 200-day moving average price of $176.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $149.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.07. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $150.14 and a 12-month high of $231.80.

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.