Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) Share Price Breaks Above 50 Day Moving Average Following Analyst Downgrade

Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) shares crossed above its 50-day moving average during trading on Wednesday after Weiss Ratings upgraded the stock from a hold (c+) rating to a buy (b-) rating. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $168.13 and traded as high as $174.09. Booking shares last traded at $170.97, with a volume of 14,632,302 shares changing hands.

BKNG has been the subject of several other research reports. Robert W. Baird set a $230.00 price objective on Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Wedbush upped their target price on Booking from $211.00 to $247.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $215.00 price target on Booking and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated a “reduce” rating and set a $190.00 price target (down from $220.00) on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Finally, Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $240.00 price objective (up from $215.00) on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $222.35.

Insider Activity at Booking

In related news, insider Paulo Pisano sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.06, for a total value of $244,590.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 70,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,479,424. This represents a 2.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Ewout L. Steenbergen sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $211.03, for a total value of $4,220,600.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 59,794 shares in the company, valued at $12,618,327.82. The trade was a 25.06% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 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 in the last three months. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Booking

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter adjusted EPS of $4.66 beat expectations. Room nights grew 7%, and gross bookings and adjusted revenue also increased, indicating underlying travel activity remained healthy. Booking Holdings Q3 Earnings Beat on Travel Growth, Revenues Miss
• Positive Sentiment: The stock’s recovery after an initial post-earnings decline indicates investors may have already priced in a weak report and are giving weight to the earnings beat and travel-volume growth. Booking Holdings earnings analysis: questions answered and next catalysts
• Neutral Sentiment: Several analysts lowered price targets after the results, but many maintained Buy, Outperform or Overweight ratings. This reflects reduced near-term expectations rather than a broad shift to bearish recommendations. These Analysts Slash Their Forecasts On Booking Holdings Following Q3 Results
• Negative Sentiment: Reported revenue missed estimates and fell year over year, partly due to an approximately $900 million revenue impact tied to FTC action. The company also cautioned that travel-demand growth is likely to moderate in Q4, with international demand pressured by geopolitical turmoil and higher airfares. Booking Holdings takes $900 million hit to quarterly revenue linked to FTC action

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Booking

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in shares of Booking by 1,615.6% in the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 13,931 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,483,000 after purchasing an additional 13,119 shares in the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG purchased a new stake in Booking during the second quarter valued at $11,687,000. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC raised its stake in Booking by 2,860.8% during the second quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 12,554 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,238,000 after purchasing an additional 12,130 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lifted its position in Booking by 2,549.7% during the second quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 88,949 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $16,077,000 after purchasing an additional 85,592 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Venture Visionary Partners LLC lifted its position in Booking by 53.3% during the third quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 61,803 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $10,068,000 after purchasing an additional 21,496 shares during the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Booking Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $128.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.17. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $168.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $176.51.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, November 3rd. The business services provider reported $4.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.49 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $9.79 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.55 billion. Booking had a net margin of 25.52% and a negative return on equity of 95.02%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $99.50 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Booking

Booking Holdings Inc is a global online travel and restaurant-reservation company that connects consumers with travel providers through digital platforms and mobile applications. Its services include accommodations, flights, rental cars, cruises, vacation packages, restaurant reservations and other travel-related offerings.

The company operates a portfolio of well-known brands, including Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, KAYAK, OpenTable, Rentalcars.com and Kayak-associated travel services.