Carmignac Gestion Purchases Shares of 14,742 Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

Carmignac Gestion acquired a new stake in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund acquired 14,742 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $62,069,000. Booking accounts for approximately 1.0% of Carmignac Gestion’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Daytona Street Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Booking in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Legacy Bridge LLC acquired a new stake in Booking during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Camelot Portfolios LLC bought a new stake in Booking during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Osbon Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Booking during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Booking in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on BKNG shares. Wells Fargo & Company set a $214.00 price objective on Booking and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. HSBC decreased their target price on Booking from $309.84 to $298.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. DA Davidson reduced their target price on Booking from $240.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $215.00 target price (down from $240.00) on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Evercore set a $245.00 price target on Booking in a research note 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 assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Booking presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $227.23.

Insider Transactions at Booking

In other 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 value of $10,229,375.00. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 1,125 shares of Booking 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 transaction, the director owned 16,508 shares in the company, valued at $3,169,536. This 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. Insiders sold a total of 68,625 shares of company stock valued at $11,445,375 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Booking Stock Performance

NASDAQ BKNG opened at $192.90 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $175.71 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $176.59. Booking Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $150.14 and a twelve month high of $231.80. The stock has a market cap of $149.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.37, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.07.

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.