Janus Henderson Group PLC Has $1.14 Billion Stock Position in Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

Janus Henderson Group PLC lowered its stake in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 15.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 270,019 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 48,590 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC’s holdings in Booking were worth $1,136,855,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. J. Stern & Co. LLP grew its stake in Booking by 191,965.8% during the fourth quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 2,832,970 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $15,171,489,000 after buying an additional 2,831,495 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia raised its position in shares of Booking by 1,497.3% in the 1st quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 870,520 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,665,168,000 after buying an additional 816,022 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Booking during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,271,041,000. HF Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Booking by 28,353.8% during the 4th quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC now owns 204,298 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,094,083,000 after acquiring an additional 203,580 shares during the period. Finally, Cardano Risk Management B.V. lifted its holdings in shares of Booking by 862.0% during the 4th quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 218,080 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,167,890,000 after acquiring an additional 195,411 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

More Booking News

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Investors purchased 21,239 BKNG call options on July 28, about 31% above typical call volume. The activity suggests increased bullish positioning ahead of the company’s upcoming earnings report.
• Positive Sentiment: A Zacks analysis continues to identify Booking Holdings as a potential long-term growth stock, reflecting expectations that its travel marketplace, scale and earnings growth can support market-beating returns. Why Booking Holdings Is a Top Growth Stock for the Long-Term
• Neutral Sentiment: Booking is scheduled to report earnings next week. Wall Street expects earnings growth, but Zacks says the company does not currently show the combination of factors that typically supports a likely earnings beat, creating a mixed setup before results. Booking Holdings Reports Next Week
• Neutral Sentiment: Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 1,125 shares worth $216,000 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Because the sale reduced her holdings by only 6.38% and was scheduled in advance, it is unlikely to materially change the investment outlook. SEC Insider Trading Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Bank of America launched a travel center offering nearly one million travel options, including hotels, flights, car rentals and activities. The broader distribution platform, powered by Rocket Travel by Agoda, could intensify competition for Booking’s customers and supplier relationships. Bank of America Launches Travel Center

Insider Buying and Selling at Booking

In related news, VP Peter J. Millones sold 62,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $69,572,025.25. This trade represents a 12.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 1,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director directly owned 16,508 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,169,536. This trade represents a 6.38% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $175.00 price objective (down from $180.00) on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. DA Davidson cut their target price on Booking from $240.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Tigress Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $260.00 target price (up from $244.00) on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Mizuho reduced their target price on Booking from $230.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Booking from $224.00 to $208.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Booking currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $227.05.

Booking Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of Booking stock opened at $201.30 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $174.40 and its 200 day moving average is $177.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $155.98 billion, a PE ratio of 26.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.07. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 1 year low of $150.14 and a 1 year high of $231.80.

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

Booking Profile

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.