Carmignac Gestion Invests $62.07 Million in Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

Carmignac Gestion purchased a new position in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 14,742 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $62,069,000. Booking comprises 1.0% of Carmignac Gestion’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in BKNG. J. Stern & Co. LLP lifted its stake in Booking by 191,965.8% in the fourth quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 2,832,970 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $15,171,489,000 after buying an additional 2,831,495 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia boosted its holdings in shares of Booking by 1,497.3% during 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 acquiring an additional 816,022 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter worth about $3,271,041,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. grew its position in shares of Booking by 862.0% during the fourth quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 218,080 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,167,890,000 after acquiring an additional 195,411 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in shares of Booking by 15.4% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 966,121 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $5,173,899,000 after acquiring an additional 128,700 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 1,125 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owned 16,508 shares in the company, valued at $3,169,536. This trade represents a 6.38% 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, Director Robert J. Mylod, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $1,000,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 16,000 shares in the company, valued at $3,200,000. This represents a 23.81% 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 68,625 shares of company stock worth $11,445,375 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Booking Stock Performance

BKNG stock opened at $192.90 on Monday. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $150.14 and a 52 week high of $231.80. The company has a market capitalization of $149.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.07. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $175.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $176.59.

Booking News Roundup

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.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on BKNG shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Booking in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of Booking from $234.00 to $215.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $175.00 price target (down from $180.00) on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Booking from $249.00 to $266.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $230.00 target price (down from $240.00) on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. One equities 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Booking currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $227.23.

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.