Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG Shares Sold by Vestor Capital LLC

Vestor Capital LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 99.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 18 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 11,660 shares during the period. Vestor Capital LLC’s holdings in Booking were worth $76,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of BKNG. J. Stern & Co. LLP grew its holdings in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia raised its stake in Booking by 1,497.3% during 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 acquiring an additional 816,022 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Booking during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $3,271,041,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. lifted its position in 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. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in Booking by 15.4% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 966,121 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $5,173,899,000 after acquiring an additional 128,700 shares during the period. 92.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on BKNG shares. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $215.00 price target (down from $240.00) on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Gordon Haskett upped their price objective on shares of Booking from $217.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Citigroup restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Booking in a research note on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Booking from $234.00 to $215.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Booking from $230.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. One investment 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, Booking has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $227.23.

Booking Trading Down 0.2%

NASDAQ:BKNG opened at $192.90 on Friday. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $150.14 and a 12-month high of $231.80. The firm has a market cap of $149.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.07. The company’s 50-day moving average is $175.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $177.17.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $5.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.52 billion. Booking had a net margin of 22.23% and a negative return on equity of 117.14%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 16.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.99 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Booking

In other Booking news, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 1,125 shares of Booking 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 directly owned 16,508 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,169,536. The trade was a 6.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal 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. Also, Director Robert J. Mylod, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $1,000,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 16,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,200,000. This trade represents a 23.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 90 days, insiders have sold 68,625 shares of company stock valued at $11,445,375. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting 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.

Booking Company 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.