Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG Stock Sold by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. trimmed its position in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 72.8% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 34,960 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 93,475 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Booking were worth $5,695,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bogart Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of Booking by 3,475.0% in the 2nd quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 143 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in Booking by 3,550.0% during the 2nd quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC now owns 146 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the period. First Financial Corp IN boosted its stake in Booking by 2,400.0% during the second quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 150 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc boosted its stake in Booking by 2,400.0% during the second quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 150 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kings Path Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Booking in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Institutional investors own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Booking

Investors following BKNG have been watching these stories:

• 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
• Neutral Sentiment: Trefis published an update on how Booking’s investment story has changed, but the available article details do not specify its conclusions or a clear stock catalyst. How Has Booking Holdings’ Story Changed?
• 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

Insider Buying and Selling 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 shares were sold at an average price of $207.59, for a total transaction of $10,389,879.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 375,025 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $77,851,439.75. This represents a 11.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Paulo Pisano sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.06, for a total transaction of $244,590.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 70,400 shares in the company, valued at $11,479,424. The trade was a 2.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 57,425 shares of company stock valued at $11,783,564 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Booking Stock Performance

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

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 3rd. The business services provider reported $4.66 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.49 by $0.17. Booking had a net margin of 25.52% and a negative return on equity of 89.54%. The firm 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 firm earned $99.50 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 11th will be given 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 18.12%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on BKNG. Citizens Jmp started coverage on Booking in a research note on Wednesday, November 4th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered Booking from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, October 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on Booking from $220.00 to $205.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 4th. TD Cowen upgraded Booking to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 14th. Finally, Wedbush lowered their price target on Booking from $247.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $222.35.

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.