Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) Short Interest Update

Key Points

• Short interest surged to 26,903,872 shares as of April 15, a 3,234.4% increase from March 31, equal to 3.4% of shares short and a short‑interest ratio of 3.9 days.
• Insider selling accelerated, with company insiders offloading 60,876 shares in the last three months (including CEO Glenn D. Fogel’s 16,726‑share sale on April 15 under a 10b5‑1 plan), representing roughly $10.6 million and likely adding downward pressure.
• Strong Q1 fundamentals: Booking reported a Q1 EPS of $48.80 (well above estimates) and $6.35 billion in revenue, while analysts maintain a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target near $232.66.

Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 26,903,872 shares, an increase of 3,234.4% from the March 31st total of 806,849 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 6,941,760 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.9 days. Currently, 3.4% of the company's stock are short sold.

Booking Trading Up 2.0%

BKNG stock traded up $3.51 during trading on Friday, reaching $180.26. The stock had a trading volume of 6,255,580 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,485,262. Booking has a 1-year low of $150.62 and a 1-year high of $233.58. The company has a market capitalization of $142.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.13, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.20. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $172.82 and a 200 day moving average price of $193.32.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The business services provider reported $48.80 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.92 by $46.88. The firm had revenue of $6.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.12 billion. Booking had a net margin of 20.08% and a negative return on equity of 128.99%. The firm's revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.66 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Booking will post 10.67 EPS for the current year.

Booking Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th were paid a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 6th. Booking's dividend payout ratio is 25.26%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Robert J. Mylod, Jr. sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.21, for a total transaction of $204,214.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 21,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,288,502.40. This represents a 4.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 16,726 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.36, for a total transaction of $3,100,331.36. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 298,174 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $55,269,532.64. This trade represents a 5.31% 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. In the last three months, insiders sold 60,876 shares of company stock valued at $10,559,629. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Booking

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. USS Investment Management Ltd increased its holdings in Booking by 1.8% in the first quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd now owns 5,461 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $22,981,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd bought a new stake in Booking in the first quarter valued at about $28,386,000. iA Global Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Booking by 8.4% in the first quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 7,418 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $31,232,000 after buying an additional 572 shares during the last quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Booking by 6.2% in the first quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 957 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $4,031,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC increased its holdings in Booking by 114.5% in the first quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC now owns 2,014 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $8,479,000 after buying an additional 1,075 shares during the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BKNG has been the subject of a number of research reports. B. Riley Financial reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $272.00 price target (down from $6,800.00) on shares of Booking in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Benchmark decreased their price target on shares of Booking from $256.00 to $224.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Booking in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Mizuho upgraded shares of Booking from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $240.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $240.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $232.66.

Booking News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KAYAK rolled out "Ask AI," a conversational travel planner timed for World Cup demand — a product push that could lift bookings/conversion and supports BKNG's AI-driven revenue narrative. KAYAK Launches Ask AI to Simplify Travel Planning Just in Time for the World Cup
• Positive Sentiment: KAYAK consumer research shows British travelers are booking trips around the summer football calendar, signaling stronger near-term demand for international room nights. Brits Are Packing Their Bags for a Summer of Football Abroad, According to KAYAK
• Positive Sentiment: Fiduciary Management highlighted BKNG in its Q1 letter, reflecting institutional conviction amid market volatility — a vote of confidence that can support share demand. Here’s Why Fiduciary Management Bets on Booking Holdings (BKNG), The Largest Online Travel Agency
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst previews (Zacks/Yahoo) emphasize solid travel demand and AI tailwinds but flag slowing room-night growth as a potential drag — Q1 results and metrics (room nights, take rate, marketing spend) are the key near-term data points. BKNG to Report Q1 Earnings: What's in the Cards for the Stock?
• Positive Sentiment: Valuation commentary (Trefis) argues BKNG looks attractively priced after a year‑to‑date slump, which can attract value-seeking buyers if fundamentals remain intact. Booking Holdings Is Trading At A Discount After Its 16% Slump
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling reported recently spurred downward pressure and may have amplified volatility and the prior multi‑day selloff. Booking NASDAQ: BKNG Stock Price Down 5.6% Following Insider Selling
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish pieces (e.g., Seeking Alpha "buy puts") and headlines noting recent ~6% drops keep sentiment cautious ahead of earnings. Booking Holdings: The Cracks Are Showing And It's Time To Buy Puts

About Booking

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.

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