4,803 Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG Shares Purchased by Sanders Capital LLC

Sanders Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 0.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,419,768 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,803 shares during the period. Booking accounts for 1.2% of Sanders Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Sanders Capital LLC owned approximately 0.99% of Booking worth $1,208,754,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of BKNG. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Booking during the second quarter valued at $11,646,302,000. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Booking by 2,674.6% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 39,420,711 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $7,026,348,000 after buying an additional 37,999,915 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia raised its stake in shares of Booking by 1,497.3% in the first quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 870,520 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,665,168,000 after buying an additional 816,022 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new stake in shares of Booking in the second quarter valued at $1,691,186,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in shares of Booking during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,370,455,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Argus increased their price target on Booking from $210.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Booking from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed a “positive” rating and set a $179.00 price objective (down from $190.00) on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday. Mizuho set a $205.00 target price on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $240.00 target price (up from $215.00) on shares of Booking in a research report 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Booking has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $222.35.

Booking Price Performance

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

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

Key Booking News

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 Transactions at Booking

In related news, Director Vanessa Wittman sold 375 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $211.00, for a total value of $79,125.00. Following the sale, the director owned 16,133 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,404,063. This trade represents a 2.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP Peter Millones, Jr. sold 50,050 shares of Booking stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.59, for a total value of $10,389,879.50. Following the sale, the vice president directly 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 77,425 shares of company stock valued at $16,004,164. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

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.

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