Janus Henderson Group PLC Has $1.14 Billion Stock Holdings in Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

Janus Henderson Group PLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 15.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 270,019 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 48,590 shares during the quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC’s holdings in Booking were worth $1,136,855,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in Booking by 34.9% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 251 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,249,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Booking during the 4th quarter worth about $209,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Booking by 25.0% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 165 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $955,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its position in shares of Booking by 50.0% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 87 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $504,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Osterweis Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Booking in the second quarter valued at about $179,000. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on BKNG. Piper Sandler set a $195.00 price objective on Booking in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Gordon Haskett upped their target price on Booking from $217.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. DA Davidson decreased their target price on shares of Booking from $240.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and set a $230.00 price target (down from $240.00) on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Booking in a report on Thursday, June 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Booking presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $227.05.

Insider Activity at Booking

In other Booking news, VP Peter J. Millones sold 62,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.67, for a total transaction 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. This represents a 12.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 1,125 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.00, for a total value of $216,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 16,508 shares in the company, valued at $3,169,536. The trade was a 6.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Booking

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Investors purchased 21,239 BKNG call options on July 28, about 31% above typical call volume. The activity suggests increased bullish positioning ahead of the company’s upcoming earnings report.
• Positive Sentiment: A Zacks analysis continues to identify Booking Holdings as a potential long-term growth stock, reflecting expectations that its travel marketplace, scale and earnings growth can support market-beating returns. Why Booking Holdings Is a Top Growth Stock for the Long-Term
• Neutral Sentiment: Booking is scheduled to report earnings next week. Wall Street expects earnings growth, but Zacks says the company does not currently show the combination of factors that typically supports a likely earnings beat, creating a mixed setup before results. Booking Holdings Reports Next Week
• Neutral Sentiment: Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 1,125 shares worth $216,000 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Because the sale reduced her holdings by only 6.38% and was scheduled in advance, it is unlikely to materially change the investment outlook. SEC Insider Trading Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Bank of America launched a travel center offering nearly one million travel options, including hotels, flights, car rentals and activities. The broader distribution platform, powered by Rocket Travel by Agoda, could intensify competition for Booking’s customers and supplier relationships. Bank of America Launches Travel Center

Booking Trading Up 1.0%

BKNG stock opened at $201.30 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $174.40 and a 200-day moving average price of $177.49. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 1-year low of $150.14 and a 1-year high of $231.80. The firm has a market cap of $155.98 billion, a PE ratio of 26.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.07.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.06. Booking had a negative return on equity of 117.14% and a net margin of 22.23%.The company had revenue of $5.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.52 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.99 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 16.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.44 earnings per share for the current 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.