Merit Financial Group LLC Raises Stock Position in Airbnb, Inc. $ABNB

Key Points

• Merit Financial Group boosted its stake in Airbnb by 72.1% in Q4, purchasing 13,818 shares to hold 32,994 shares worth about $4.48 million.
• Airbnb reported Q4 EPS of $0.56 (missing the $0.66 consensus by $0.10) while revenue of $2.78 billion topped estimates and rose 12.9% year-over-year.
• Insiders have sold heavily—363,510 shares (~$46.45M) in the last 90 days—while insiders own 27.83% and institutions own 80.76%; analysts hold a consensus "Hold" rating with an average target of $149.40.

Merit Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Airbnb, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABNB - Free Report) by 72.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 32,994 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 13,818 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in Airbnb were worth $4,478,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new position in shares of Airbnb during the 1st quarter valued at about $258,000. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Airbnb by 55.8% during the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 12,161 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,453,000 after acquiring an additional 4,353 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in Airbnb by 18.8% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,866 shares of the company's stock valued at $776,000 after buying an additional 927 shares during the period. WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new stake in Airbnb in the 2nd quarter valued at about $411,000. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Airbnb by 9.8% in the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 54,054 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,153,000 after buying an additional 4,811 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.76% of the company's stock.

Airbnb Stock Performance

ABNB stock opened at $141.55 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $86.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.04, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.15. Airbnb, Inc. has a twelve month low of $109.79 and a twelve month high of $143.88. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $128.91 and a 200-day simple moving average of $127.60.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Airbnb from $120.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Airbnb in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut 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. Citigroup upgraded shares of Airbnb from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Airbnb from $147.00 to $149.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, seventeen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Airbnb has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $149.40.

Insider Transactions at Airbnb

In other Airbnb news, CFO Elinor Mertz sold 3,750 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.99, for a total value of $491,212.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 394,359 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,657,085.41. This represents a 0.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Joseph Gebbia sold 58,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.16, for a total value of $7,317,280.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 170,015 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,449,092.40. The trade was a 25.44% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 363,510 shares of company stock worth $46,447,668 over the last 90 days. 27.83% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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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