Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG Shares Purchased by Sanders Capital LLC

Sanders Capital LLC raised its stake in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 0.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,419,768 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 4,803 shares during the period. Booking comprises about 1.2% of Sanders Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Sanders Capital LLC’s holdings in Booking were worth $1,208,754,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Alta Advisers Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Booking by 73.3% in the 3rd quarter. Alta Advisers Ltd now owns 5,589 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $911,000 after purchasing an additional 2,364 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Booking by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 116,394 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $18,962,000 after buying an additional 7,767 shares in the last quarter. Claro Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Booking in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $231,000. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its position in Booking by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 98,738 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $16,085,000 after buying an additional 2,903 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC lifted its position in Booking by 50.7% in the 3rd quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 7,590 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,183,000 after buying an additional 2,554 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Booking

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Booking’s AI initiatives are drawing favorable attention. A Seeking Alpha article upgraded its rating, arguing AI could help drive revenue, while CEO Glenn Fogel described AI as a “big positive” for the company. Booking Holdings: AI Proves To Be A Revenue Multiplier (Rating Upgrade) AI is starting to help Booking’s business. Its stock should benefit
• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen reiterated its Buy rating. Separately, Booking-backed Lola launched a service to help members get access to sought-after restaurant reservations and event tickets, with more cities planned. TD Cowen Reaffirms Their Buy Rating on Booking Holdings Lola Launches Lola VIP Drops
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent third-quarter results beat Booking’s own guidance on room nights, gross bookings and adjusted revenue, supporting the earlier share rally. These results provide a positive business backdrop, but may be outweighed today by competitive and analyst concerns. Booking Stock Jumps As Q3 Results Spotlight Margin Strength
• Negative Sentiment: Airbnb reported its fastest revenue growth in more than three years and raised its outlook, lifting its shares while Booking and Expedia fell. The news may renew concerns about competition and relative growth prospects in online travel. Airbnb Jumps on Growth and Raised Outlook; Booking and Expedia Fall
• Negative Sentiment: Several analyst actions point to a more cautious view: JPMorgan lowered its expectations, and Barclays and UBS cut their price targets. A downgrade also accompanied coverage of Booking shares, adding to near-term pressure. JPMorgan Lowers Expectations for Booking Barclays Lowers Booking Price Target UBS Cuts Booking Price Target

Insider Activity at Booking

In other news, Director Robert Mylod, Jr. sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $200,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 14,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,800,000. The trade was a 6.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Paulo Pisano sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.48, for a total value of $610,440.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 73,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,935,432. This trade represents a 3.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 77,425 shares of company stock worth $16,004,164 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays cut their target price on Booking from $210.00 to $170.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Booking from $248.00 to $205.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $270.00 target price on shares of Booking in a research note on Monday, August 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $188.00 price target on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 26th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $222.35.

Booking Trading Down 4.8%

BKNG stock traded down $8.06 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $160.66. 7,907,758 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,818,136. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $166.49 and its 200 day moving average is $176.13. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 52-week low of $146.28 and a 52-week high of $220.81. The stock has a market cap of $120.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.33, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.17.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 3rd. The business services provider reported $4.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.49 by $0.17. Booking had a negative return on equity of 102.96% and a net margin of 25.53%. The business had revenue of $9.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.55 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $99.50 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Booking

Booking Holdings Inc is an online travel company that connects travelers with accommodations and other travel services. Through its digital platforms, customers can search for and book hotels, vacation rentals, flights, rental cars, attractions and other travel experiences.

The company operates a portfolio of consumer brands, including Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, KAYAK, Rentalcars.com and OpenTable. Its services span accommodation reservations, travel search and comparison, car rentals, and restaurant reservations.

Booking Holdings traces its history to Priceline, which was founded in 1997.