Pacer Advisors Inc. Purchases 11,235 Shares of Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 14.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 89,220 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,235 shares during the quarter. Booking makes up about 0.6% of Pacer Advisors Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Booking were worth $375,645,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of BKNG. J. Stern & Co. LLP lifted its holdings in Booking by 191,965.8% in the fourth quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 2,832,970 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $15,171,489,000 after buying an additional 2,831,495 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia grew its holdings 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 worth $3,665,168,000 after acquiring an additional 816,022 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Booking in the 4th quarter worth about $3,271,041,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. boosted its position 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 valued at $1,167,890,000 after purchasing an additional 195,411 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in Booking by 15.4% during the fourth 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 purchasing an additional 128,700 shares during the period. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Booking Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:BKNG opened at $192.90 on Monday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $175.71 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $176.59. The firm has a market cap of $149.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.37, a PEG ratio of 1.21 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.

Insider Transactions at Booking

In other news, Director Robert J. Mylod, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the director directly owned 16,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,200,000. This represents a 23.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP Peter J. Millones sold 62,500 shares of Booking 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 completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 425,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $69,572,025.25. The trade was a 12.82% 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. Insiders have sold 68,625 shares of company stock valued at $11,445,375 over the last ninety days. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on BKNG shares. Tigress Financial reiterated 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. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $175.00 price objective (down from $180.00) on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Booking from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $215.00 target price (down from $240.00) on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. One equities research 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, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $227.23.

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.