Investment House LLC Sells 28,163 Shares of Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

Investment House LLC decreased its stake in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 29.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 66,350 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 28,163 shares during the period. Investment House LLC’s holdings in Booking were worth $10,809,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of BKNG. Bogart Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Booking by 3,475.0% in the second quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 143 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 139 shares during the last quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings in Booking by 3,550.0% during the 2nd 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 during the last quarter. First Financial Corp IN grew its position in shares of Booking by 2,400.0% in the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc grew its position in shares of Booking by 2,400.0% in the 2nd quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 150 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kings Path Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Booking in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on BKNG shares. Argus boosted their price target on Booking from $210.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. DA Davidson set a $240.00 price objective on Booking in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their price objective on Booking from $220.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 12th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed 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, Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $270.00 target price on shares of Booking in a research note on Monday, August 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have assigned a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $233.71.

Key Stories Impacting Booking

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BTIG Research reaffirmed its Buy rating and set a $250 price target, implying substantial upside from recent trading levels. The call provides bullish analyst support despite the latest weakness. BTIG Research Booking rating
• Positive Sentiment: Booking remains a major global online-travel platform with significant scale and a diversified brand portfolio, supporting its ability to capture travel demand. The comparison with Airbnb highlights Booking’s established competitive position, although it also underscores ongoing competition in the sector. Airbnb versus Booking comparison
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent market coverage attributed Booking’s decline to company-specific concerns rather than broad market weakness, indicating that investors are focusing on the regulatory news and its potential implications. Booking Holdings stock decline analysis
• Negative Sentiment: The European Union opened an investigation into Booking.com over alleged shortcomings in addressing fraudulent listings and phishing scams. Regulators are also examining advertising transparency. The probe could increase compliance costs, create reputational risk, and potentially lead to enforcement measures, weighing on investor sentiment. Reuters report on EU investigation
• Negative Sentiment: Shares declined while the broader market gained, reinforcing that the EU fraud-risk investigation is the primary near-term catalyst behind BKNG’s weakness. EU investigates Booking.com over fraud risks

Insider Transactions at Booking

In other Booking news, CFO Ewout L. Steenbergen sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $211.03, for a total value of $4,220,600.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 59,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,618,327.82. This trade represents a 25.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Paulo Pisano sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.06, for a total transaction of $244,590.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 70,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,479,424. This trade represents a 2.09% 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 84,550 shares of company stock valued at $17,426,864 over the last three months. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Booking Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of BKNG stock opened at $161.10 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $121.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.83, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.13. The business has a 50 day moving average of $177.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $177.38. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $150.14 and a 52 week high of $220.81.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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. The business had revenue of $7.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.19 billion. Booking had a negative return on equity of 102.96% and a net margin of 25.53%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $55.40 EPS. Analysts expect that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th were paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 11th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.58%.

Booking Company Profile

Booking Holdings Inc is a global online travel and restaurant-reservation company that connects consumers with travel providers through digital platforms and mobile applications. Its services include accommodations, flights, rental cars, cruises, vacation packages, restaurant reservations and other travel-related offerings.

The company operates a portfolio of well-known brands, including Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, KAYAK, OpenTable, Rentalcars.com and Kayak-associated travel services.