Airbnb, Inc. $ABNB Holdings Boosted by First Trust Advisors LP

Key Points

• First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in Airbnb by 0.6% to 2,021,348 shares (about $245.4M), and institutional investors now own 80.76% of ABNB as other large holders (Vanguard, Harris) increased positions and Norges Bank initiated a ~\$483.6M stake.
• Operational and analyst signals are mixed: third‑party coverage highlights accelerating bookings and strong free cash flow, but Airbnb's Q4 showed a revenue beat with an EPS miss, and the market consensus rating is currently "Hold" with an average price target of \$149.42.
• Significant insider selling has occurred recently—Director Joseph Gebbia sold 58,000 shares and CFO Elinor Mertz sold 3,750 shares—with insiders selling a total of 626,921 shares (~\$80.4M) in the last 90 days, though insiders still own 27.91% of the stock.

First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Airbnb, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABNB - Free Report) by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,021,348 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 11,917 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned 0.33% of Airbnb worth $245,432,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Airbnb by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 38,295,288 shares of the company's stock worth $4,649,814,000 after acquiring an additional 649,323 shares during the period. Harris Associates L P increased its holdings in shares of Airbnb by 43.2% in the 2nd quarter. Harris Associates L P now owns 14,237,331 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,884,168,000 after purchasing an additional 4,292,383 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Airbnb by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 9,942,423 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,314,057,000 after purchasing an additional 145,788 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Airbnb in the second quarter worth approximately $483,644,000. Finally, Akre Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Airbnb by 19.0% in the second quarter. Akre Capital Management LLC now owns 3,473,243 shares of the company's stock worth $459,649,000 after purchasing an additional 555,510 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.76% of the company's stock.

Airbnb News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Airbnb this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Seeking Alpha highlights accelerating bookings and strong free cash flow, reinforcing Airbnb’s operational momentum and cash-generation profile that support valuation. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho (reported by American Banking News) said ABNB’s stock is expected to rise, signaling at least one analyst view that upside remains and contributing to ongoing analyst support. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage on eco‑tourism and product innovation points to differentiated demand (eco-conscious travelers, new product features) that could broaden demand and improve long‑term growth visibility. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 earnings roundups reiterate a mixed print: revenue beat but an EPS miss (reported in February), so fundamentals are improving but near‑term profitability metrics disappointed some expectations. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest reporting in the feeds shows anomalous/zero values and appears unreliable; it does not provide a clear short‑pressure signal at this time.
• Negative Sentiment: Benzinga and other outlets point to fresh escalations in the U.S.–Israel–Iran conflict as the immediate driver of weakness — geopolitical risk is reducing near‑term travel visibility and investor appetite for travel/leisure exposure. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: CFO Elinor Mertz sold multiple small blocks of shares recently (3,750 shares on Mar 2), which some investors interpret as a modest negative signal despite the small size relative to overall insider holdings. Article Title

Airbnb Stock Performance

Shares of ABNB opened at $133.23 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $81.10 billion, a PE ratio of 32.98, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.12. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $130.56 and its 200 day moving average price is $126.56. Airbnb, Inc. has a twelve month low of $99.88 and a twelve month high of $143.88.

Airbnb (NASDAQ:ABNB - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.66 by ($0.10). Airbnb had a return on equity of 30.88% and a net margin of 20.51%.The business had revenue of $2.78 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.71 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.73 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 12.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Airbnb, Inc. will post 4.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Airbnb

In related news, Director Joseph Gebbia sold 58,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.97, for a total value of $7,074,260.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 344,015 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,959,509.55. This represents a 14.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Elinor Mertz sold 3,750 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.00, for a total transaction of $487,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 402,417 shares in the company, valued at $52,314,210. The trade was a 0.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 626,921 shares of company stock worth $80,393,136 in the last 90 days. 27.91% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Airbnb in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Airbnb from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Airbnb from $120.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price target on shares of Airbnb from $165.00 to $162.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Argus upgraded Airbnb to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $149.42.

Airbnb Company Profile

Airbnb, Inc NASDAQ: ABNB operates a global online marketplace that connects travelers with hosts offering short-term lodging, unique accommodations and related travel experiences. The company's core platform enables individuals and professional property managers to list private homes, apartments, single rooms and entire properties, while providing search, booking and payment processing for guests. Airbnb earns revenue primarily through service fees charged to guests and hosts and offers tools to facilitate reservations, communications, and logistics between parties.

Beyond accommodations, Airbnb has expanded its product portfolio to include curated experiences led by local hosts, higher-end offerings such as Airbnb Luxe, and programs aimed at enhancing quality and safety like Airbnb Plus.

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