Vestor Capital LLC Sells 11,660 Shares of Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

Key Points

• Vestor Capital nearly exited Booking Holdings: The firm sold 11,660 shares in the first quarter, reducing its position by 99.8% to just 18 shares valued at approximately $76,000. Institutional investors still own 92.42% of BKNG.
• Analysts remain broadly positive but lowered targets: Booking has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating from MarketBeat, with 27 Buy ratings and an average price target of $227.23, although several firms recently reduced their targets.
• Booking reported solid quarterly results amid caution: Revenue rose 16.2% year over year to $5.53 billion and adjusted EPS beat estimates, while investors remain focused on slowing travel demand, competition, and upcoming bookings and guidance metrics. Insiders have sold $11.45 million of stock over the past 90 days under pre-arranged trading plans.

Vestor Capital LLC lessened its holdings in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG - Free Report) by 99.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 11,660 shares during the quarter. Vestor Capital LLC's holdings in Booking were worth $76,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its stake in Booking by 1.7% in the second quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 121 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $700,000 after acquiring an additional 2 shares during the last quarter. Beaumont Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Booking by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Beaumont Financial Advisors LLC now owns 52 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $278,000 after acquiring an additional 2 shares in the last quarter. YANKCOM Partnership increased its position in shares of Booking by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. YANKCOM Partnership now owns 192 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,028,000 after purchasing an additional 2 shares during the last quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Booking by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 297 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,591,000 after purchasing an additional 2 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bar Harbor Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of Booking by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Bar Harbor Wealth Management now owns 611 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $3,272,000 after purchasing an additional 2 shares in the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on BKNG shares. Oppenheimer reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $215.00 target price (down from $240.00) on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on Booking from $244.00 to $220.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. DA Davidson decreased their price target on Booking from $240.00 to $230.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Weiss Ratings raised Booking from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Barclays set a $210.00 price objective on Booking and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $227.23.

Insider Buying and Selling at Booking

In other Booking news, Director Robert J. Mylod, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $1,000,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 16,000 shares in the company, valued at $3,200,000. This represents a 23.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP Peter J. Millones sold 62,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.67, for a total value of $10,229,375.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 425,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,572,025.25. The trade was a 12.82% 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 68,625 shares of company stock worth $11,445,375 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Booking News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains favorable. UBS raised its BKNG price target from $249 to $266 and reiterated a “Buy” rating. BMO Capital also maintained a “Buy” rating, while the broader analyst consensus remains “Moderate Buy” with an average target near $227, well above recent trading levels. UBS analyst update BMO Capital rating
• Positive Sentiment: Booking’s latest reported quarter provided a solid operating base: adjusted earnings exceeded expectations, revenue reached $5.53 billion and increased 16.2% year over year. Investors may look for that momentum to continue in the second quarter.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are focused on second-quarter room nights, gross bookings, revenue, adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow. Results and management guidance will likely determine whether the recent weakness is temporary or signals a broader slowdown. Booking Q2 key metrics preview
• Neutral Sentiment: Directors Robert Mylod Jr. and Vanessa Ames Wittman sold shares worth approximately $1 million and $216,000, respectively. Both trades were executed under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, reducing their significance as a current signal about management’s outlook. SEC insider transaction filing
• Negative Sentiment: The earnings outlook is cautious: analysts expect slower second-quarter growth as geopolitical and travel disruptions weigh on demand, while Connected Trip and artificial-intelligence investments may not fully offset the tougher environment. A miss on bookings, margins or guidance could increase volatility. Booking Q2 earnings outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pressure is increasing as Bank of America launched a travel center offering hotels, flights, car rentals and activities, while other platforms are also targeting Booking’s customers and supplier relationships.

Booking Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of Booking stock opened at $192.90 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $175.71 and a 200-day simple moving average of $177.17. The stock has a market cap of $149.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.37, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.07. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $150.14 and a 12-month high of $231.80.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.06. Booking had a net margin of 22.23% and a negative return on equity of 117.14%. The firm had revenue of $5.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.52 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.99 EPS. Booking's revenue for the quarter was up 16.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Booking Company Profile

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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