Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG Stock: Kestra Advisory Services LLC Grows Holdings

Kestra Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 7.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 116,394 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,767 shares during the quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Booking were worth $18,962,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Allworth Financial LP increased its position 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 worth $2,483,000 after purchasing an additional 13,119 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG acquired a new position in Booking in the second quarter valued at about $11,687,000. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC lifted its position 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 worth $2,238,000 after purchasing an additional 12,130 shares during the period. 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 worth $16,077,000 after purchasing an additional 85,592 shares during the period. 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 worth $10,068,000 after purchasing an additional 21,496 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Truist Financial set a $216.00 price objective on shares of Booking and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 30th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $250.00 target price on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, November 4th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Booking from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, October 30th. Argus upped their price target on shares of Booking from $210.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed a “positive” rating and set a $179.00 price target (down from $190.00) on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Booking has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $222.35.

Insider Buying and Selling at Booking

In related news, VP Peter J. Millones sold 50,050 shares of the firm’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 value of $10,389,879.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 375,025 shares in the company, valued at $77,851,439.75. This trade represents a 11.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Ewout L. Steenbergen sold 20,000 shares of Booking stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $211.03, for a total transaction of $4,220,600.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 59,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,618,327.82. This represents a 25.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 have sold a total of 77,425 shares of company stock worth $16,004,164 over the last three months. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Booking News Roundup

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

Booking Price Performance

BKNG stock opened at $160.66 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $119.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $166.49 and a 200 day simple moving average of $176.13. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 1 year low of $146.28 and a 1 year high of $220.81.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 3rd. The business services provider reported $4.66 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $9.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.55 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $99.50 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Booking

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.