Park West Asset Management LLC Makes New $10.34 Million Investment in Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

Park West Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 58,000 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $10,338,000.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bogart Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Booking by 3,475.0% during the second quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 143 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in Booking by 3,550.0% during the second quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC now owns 146 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Camelot Portfolios LLC acquired a new position in shares of Booking during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Osbon Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Booking in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, First Financial Corp IN grew its position in Booking by 2,400.0% in the second quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 150 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares during the period. 92.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Booking News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts currently assign Booking Holdings an average “Moderate Buy” rating, indicating that Wall Street remains broadly optimistic about the company’s outlook. Booking Holdings Given Average Rating of Moderate Buy by Analysts
• Positive Sentiment: OpenTable, a Booking Holdings business, introduced more than 20 restaurant-focused product enhancements, including AI-powered search distribution, automation tools, and natural-language reporting. The rollout could strengthen OpenTable’s value proposition, improve restaurant engagement, and support longer-term growth in the company’s restaurant technology operations. OpenTable Launches New Product Features
• Neutral Sentiment: Chief Financial Officer Ewout Steenbergen will speak at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference on September 9. The presentation could provide updated commentary on travel demand, margins, and strategy, but no new financial guidance was announced. Booking Holdings Goldman Sachs Conference Presentation
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Glenn Fogel is scheduled to participate in a Citi Global TMT Conference session on September 8. The event may offer investors additional strategic insight, but the announcement itself has no immediate earnings impact. Booking Holdings Citi Conference Presentation
• Neutral Sentiment: A report discusses whether Wall Street is bullish or bearish on BKNG, highlighting the importance of analyst expectations and valuation in current trading. The headline alone does not establish a specific change in consensus. Booking Holdings Stock: Is Wall Street Bullish or Bearish?
• Negative Sentiment: Booking’s recent pullback may indicate investor caution after a substantial advance, particularly as valuation and the sustainability of travel-demand growth remain key considerations. The reported short-interest data showed zero shares and therefore provides no meaningful evidence of bearish short positioning.

Booking Trading Down 2.3%

Shares of BKNG opened at $208.89 on Thursday. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $150.14 and a 12-month high of $227.72. The stock has a market cap of $156.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.12, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a 50-day moving average of $190.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $177.38.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.43 by $0.11. Booking had a net margin of 25.53% and a negative return on equity of 102.96%. The business had revenue of $7.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.19 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $55.40 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th will be given a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 11th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Booking’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.58%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Peter J. Millones sold 50,050 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.59, for a total value of $10,389,879.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 375,025 shares in the company, valued at approximately $77,851,439.75. This represents a 11.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 375 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $211.00, for a total transaction of $79,125.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 16,133 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,404,063. This represents a 2.27% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 77,550 shares of company stock worth $16,112,304 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on BKNG shares. HSBC lowered their price target on Booking from $309.84 to $298.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Robert W. Baird set a $230.00 price objective on Booking in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $240.00 price target (up from $215.00) on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Piper Sandler reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $215.00 price objective (up from $195.00) on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on shares of Booking from $175.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $236.45.

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.