Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG Shares Sold by Freedom Investment Management Inc.

Key Points

• Freedom Investment Management Inc. reduced its stake in Booking Holdings by 17.7%, now holding 251 shares with a value of approximately $1,455,000.
• CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 1,013 shares for nearly $5.6 million, bringing his ownership down by 4.11%.
• The company's stock has seen a recent 2.6% decline, currently priced around $5,093.47, with analysts maintaining a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."

Freedom Investment Management Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG - Free Report) by 17.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 251 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 54 shares during the period. Freedom Investment Management Inc.'s holdings in Booking were worth $1,455,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of BKNG. Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Booking during the first quarter worth $28,000. Atwood & Palmer Inc. acquired a new stake in Booking in the second quarter valued at $29,000. Keystone Global Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Booking in the first quarter valued at $32,000. O Brien Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Booking in the second quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, First PREMIER Bank grew its holdings in Booking by 100.0% in the second quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 6 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 3 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.42% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 1,013 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5,516.92, for a total transaction of $5,588,639.96. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 23,607 shares in the company, valued at approximately $130,237,930.44. This represents a 4.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 15 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5,291.98, for a total value of $79,379.70. Following the transaction, the director owned 732 shares in the company, valued at $3,873,729.36. This trade represents a 2.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 3,197 shares of company stock worth $17,260,963. 0.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BKNG has been the topic of several research reports. Hsbc Global Res raised Booking to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Mizuho initiated coverage on Booking in a report on Monday, September 29th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $5,975.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group upped their target price on Booking from $5,750.00 to $6,300.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. DA Davidson upped their target price on Booking from $5,750.00 to $6,500.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $6,000.00 price objective (up from $5,700.00) on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $5,994.00.

Booking Stock Down 2.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:BKNG opened at $5,093.47 on Friday. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 52-week low of $4,096.23 and a 52-week high of $5,839.41. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $5,438.95 and its 200-day simple moving average is $5,353.66. The company has a market capitalization of $165.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.35.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The business services provider reported $55.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $50.32 by $5.08. Booking had a negative return on equity of 134.19% and a net margin of 19.23%.The business had revenue of $6.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.54 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $41.90 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. Booking has set its Q3 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 209.92 earnings per share for the current year.

About Booking

Booking Holdings Inc, formerly The Priceline Group Inc, is a provider of travel and restaurant online reservation and related services. The Company, through its online travel companies (OTCs), connects consumers wishing to make travel reservations with providers of travel services across the world. It offers consumers an array of accommodation reservations (including hotels, bed and breakfasts, hostels, apartments, vacation rentals and other properties) through its Booking.com, priceline.com and agoda.com brands.

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