Rathbones Group PLC Cuts Stock Position in Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

Rathbones Group PLC cut its position in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 27.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 47,307 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 17,601 shares during the quarter. Rathbones Group PLC’s holdings in Booking were worth $199,178,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Booking by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 297 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,591,000 after acquiring an additional 2 shares during the last quarter. Bar Harbor Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of Booking by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Bar Harbor Wealth Management now owns 611 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,272,000 after acquiring an additional 2 shares during the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Booking by 22.2% in the 4th quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 11 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 2 shares in the last quarter. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Booking by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 43 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $232,000 after purchasing an additional 2 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BLB&B Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Booking by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. BLB&B Advisors LLC now owns 52 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $278,000 after purchasing an additional 2 shares during the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Booking Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ BKNG opened at $192.90 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $175.71 and a 200 day moving average of $176.59. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 1 year low of $150.14 and a 1 year high of $231.80. The stock has a market cap of $149.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.07.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Tigress Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $260.00 target price (up from $244.00) on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Booking from $224.00 to $208.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $175.00 price objective (down from $180.00) on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $215.00 price objective (down from $240.00) on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $215.00 target price on Booking and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $227.23.

Insider Activity at Booking

In other news, Director Robert J. Mylod, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $1,000,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 16,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,200,000. This represents a 23.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible 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 the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.67, for a total value of $10,229,375.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 425,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $69,572,025.25. The trade was a 12.82% 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 68,625 shares of company stock valued at $11,445,375 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about 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 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.