Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) Director Sells $216,000.00 in Stock

Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 1,125 shares of Booking stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.00, for a total value of $216,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 16,508 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,169,536. The trade was a 6.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Booking Trading Up 1.0%

NASDAQ:BKNG traded up $1.99 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $201.30. The stock had a trading volume of 7,424,332 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,636,099. Booking Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $150.14 and a twelve month high of $231.80. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $173.51 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $177.58. The company has a market capitalization of $155.98 billion, a PE ratio of 26.48, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.07.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $5.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.52 billion. Booking had a net margin of 22.23% and a negative return on equity of 117.14%. The firm’s revenue was up 16.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.99 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Booking News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Unusually strong options activity provided a bullish market signal, as investors purchased 21,239 BKNG call options—about 31% above typical call volume. Call buying can indicate expectations for further share-price gains, although it does not guarantee a positive outcome.
• Positive Sentiment: A long-term growth analysis highlighted Booking’s position in the global online travel market and its potential to deliver market-beating returns. The article points to growth-oriented investment characteristics as a reason investors may continue to favor the stock. Why Booking Holdings is a top growth stock for the long term
• Neutral Sentiment: Booking is scheduled to report earnings next week, and Wall Street expects year-over-year earnings growth. The report will be a key near-term catalyst, particularly as the company’s latest quarter showed revenue growth and an EPS beat. Booking Holdings reports next week
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader travel indicators remain constructive: KAYAK reported that French families continue searching for summer air travel, though they are favoring shorter trips. This supports ongoing travel demand but offers limited direct insight into Booking’s bookings or earnings.
• Negative Sentiment: A Zacks analysis said BKNG does not currently have the combination of factors it considers favorable for a likely earnings beat. That caution could weigh on the stock ahead of results, especially if expectations for earnings growth are already reflected in the valuation. Booking earnings expectations
• Negative Sentiment: Bank of America launched a competing travel center powered by Rocket Travel by Agoda, offering nearly one million travel options. The expanded competitor offering may increase pressure on Booking’s customer acquisition, pricing and market share, although the immediate financial impact is uncertain.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BKNG has been the subject of several analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on Booking from $244.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Wedbush started coverage on Booking in a report on Thursday, July 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $211.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company set a $214.00 price target on shares of Booking and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Barclays set a $210.00 price target on shares of Booking and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, B. Riley Financial decreased their price objective on shares of Booking from $272.00 to $264.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 27th. One research 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $227.05.

Institutional Trading of Booking

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd purchased a new position in Booking during the fourth quarter worth $361,463,000. Rit Capital Partners PLC acquired a new stake in shares of Booking during the 4th quarter worth about $51,396,000. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter worth about $210,352,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. raised its position in shares of Booking by 862.0% in the fourth 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 buying an additional 195,411 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rathbones Group PLC lifted its stake in shares of Booking by 20.5% during the fourth quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 64,908 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $347,604,000 after buying an additional 11,042 shares during the period. 92.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.