North Star Asset Management Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Airbnb, Inc. $ABNB

Key Points

• North Star Asset Management increased its Airbnb stake by 13.4% in the fourth quarter, buying 9,294 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 78,564 shares valued at about $10.66 million.
• Analysts remain mostly constructive on ABNB, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $157.67, even after mixed recent rating changes and price-target adjustments.
• Airbnb reported revenue growth of 17.9% year over year in its latest quarter, but earnings per share came in below expectations; the article also notes significant insider selling, including large share sales by Nathan Blecharczyk and Joseph Gebbia.

North Star Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Airbnb, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABNB - Free Report) by 13.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 78,564 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 9,294 shares during the quarter. North Star Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Airbnb were worth $10,663,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ABNB. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Airbnb in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. ORG Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Airbnb by 97.0% in the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 195 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Airbnb in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Airbnb by 397.7% in the third quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 219 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. Finally, Wiser Advisor Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Airbnb in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.76% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ABNB has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Rodman & Renshaw initiated coverage on shares of Airbnb in a report on Monday, May 4th. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. Truist Financial raised shares of Airbnb from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $107.00 to $129.00 in a report on Thursday, March 26th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Airbnb from $153.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $173.00 price objective on shares of Airbnb in a report on Thursday. Finally, HSBC lowered shares of Airbnb from a "hold" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Airbnb has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $157.67.

Insider Activity

In other Airbnb news, insider Nathan Blecharczyk sold 60,136 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.70, for a total transaction of $8,761,815.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 11,920 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,736,744. This trade represents a 83.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Joseph Gebbia sold 58,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.97, for a total transaction of $7,074,260.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 344,015 shares in the company, valued at $41,959,509.55. This represents a 14.43% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 512,317 shares of company stock valued at $69,293,854. 27.21% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Airbnb Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of ABNB stock opened at $132.35 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 1.44. The firm has a market cap of $79.77 billion, a PE ratio of 32.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a 50-day moving average of $133.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $129.83. Airbnb, Inc. has a 1-year low of $110.81 and a 1-year high of $147.25.

Airbnb (NASDAQ:ABNB - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.26 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.31 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $2.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.62 billion. Airbnb had a return on equity of 31.24% and a net margin of 19.90%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.24 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Airbnb, Inc. will post 4.91 EPS for the current year.

More Airbnb News

Here are the key news stories impacting Airbnb this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Airbnb is expanding beyond home rentals into boutique hotels, car rentals, airport and train pickups, luggage storage, grocery delivery through Instacart, and FIFA World Cup-related experiences. Investors may see this as a way to open new revenue streams and boost app engagement. Airbnb to add grocery delivery and car rentals ahead of World Cup
• Positive Sentiment: The company is also adding AI-powered travel tools and AI support features, which could improve efficiency and make the platform more attractive to travelers and hosts. Airbnb may have a front seat for the new AI-dominated world
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts continue to frame the strategy shift as Airbnb trying to become an “Amazon for services,” but investors still need evidence that the new offerings will lift profits rather than just add complexity. Should Airbnb’s One-Stop Travel Pivot Reshape How ABNB Investors View Its Core Platform Strategy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Airbnb is also getting attention ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which could lift travel demand, but some coverage notes booking trends are still uneven across host cities. Wall Street Breakfast Podcast: Summer Travel Meets FIFA Fever
• Negative Sentiment: New EU short-term-rental transparency rules are raising regulatory risk and could increase compliance costs in a key market, weighing on sentiment toward Airbnb’s core business. Airbnb expands into hotels, cars, groceries
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider sales, including director Joseph Gebbia’s large share sale and Chief Strategy Officer Nathan Blecharczyk’s smaller sale, are also pressuring sentiment. SEC filing for Joseph Gebbia transaction

About Airbnb

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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