Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG Shares Purchased by Maryland State Retirement & Pension System

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System boosted its position in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 13.2% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 47,413 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,513 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in Booking were worth $7,724,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bogart Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 139 shares during the last quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. First Financial Corp IN lifted its position in shares of Booking by 2,400.0% during the 2nd quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 150 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc lifted its position in shares of Booking by 2,400.0% during the 2nd quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 150 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kings Path Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Booking during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on BKNG. Mizuho set a $205.00 target price on Booking in a research note on Wednesday, November 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Booking from $248.00 to $205.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 4th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $200.00 price target (down from $230.00) on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, November 4th. Barclays cut their price target on Booking from $210.00 to $170.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 4th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on Booking from $274.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $222.35.

Insider Transactions at Booking

In other Booking news, VP Peter Millones, Jr. sold 50,050 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.59, for a total value of $10,389,879.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 375,025 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $77,851,439.75. This represents a 11.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Paulo Pisano sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the insider owned 73,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,935,432. This represents a 3.93% 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. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 57,425 shares of company stock valued at $11,783,564. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Top Booking Stories

Here are a few of the latest stories about BKNG:

• Positive Sentiment: A comparison with Target highlighted Booking’s online travel market position, high net margins and double-digit revenue growth—supportive fundamentals for investors considering the stock’s longer-term prospects. Booking Holdings vs. Target article
• Negative Sentiment: KeyCorp cut its Q4 2026 EPS estimate to $2.10 from $2.35 and reduced forecasts for FY2027 ($11.56 from $12.13) and FY2028 ($13.37 from $14.78), signaling weaker expectations beyond 2026. MarketBeat report
• Negative Sentiment: OpenAI’s agreed acquisition of travel AI specialist Odessia raises the risk that AI trip-planning tools could become gatekeepers between travelers and booking sites, potentially challenging Booking’s role in travel search and customer acquisition. Could Booking Holdings Lose Travel Search Ground To New AI Gatekeepers?

Booking Stock Performance

NASDAQ:BKNG opened at $161.20 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $163.37 and its 200-day moving average is $175.25. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 52-week low of $146.28 and a 52-week high of $220.81. The company has a market cap of $119.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.39, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.17.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 3rd. The business services provider reported $4.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.49 by $0.17. Booking had a net margin of 25.52% and a negative return on equity of 89.54%. The business had revenue of $9.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.55 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $99.50 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.26 EPS for the current year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. Booking’s payout ratio is currently 18.12%.

Booking Profile

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.