Pacer Advisors Inc. Raises Position in Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 14.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 89,220 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,235 shares during the quarter. Booking makes up about 0.6% of Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 26th largest position. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Booking were worth $375,645,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. J. Stern & Co. LLP raised its position in Booking by 191,965.8% in the 4th quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 2,832,970 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $15,171,489,000 after buying an additional 2,831,495 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its stake in Booking by 1,497.3% during the 1st quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 870,520 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,665,168,000 after acquiring an additional 816,022 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Booking during the 4th quarter worth $3,271,041,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. boosted its holdings in Booking by 862.0% during the 4th quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 218,080 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,167,890,000 after acquiring an additional 195,411 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in shares of Booking by 15.4% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 966,121 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $5,173,899,000 after acquiring an additional 128,700 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Booking

In other news, VP Peter J. Millones sold 62,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.67, for a total transaction of $10,229,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 425,075 shares in the company, valued at $69,572,025.25. This trade represents a 12.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 1,125 shares of Booking stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.00, for a total transaction of $216,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 16,508 shares in the company, valued at $3,169,536. This trade represents a 6.38% 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 a total of 68,625 shares of company stock worth $11,445,375 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Booking Stock Performance

Shares of BKNG stock opened at $192.90 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $149.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.07. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $150.14 and a 52 week high of $231.80. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $175.71 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $176.59.

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.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on BKNG. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Booking from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $230.00 price objective (down from $240.00) on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Booking from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. B. Riley Financial dropped their target price on shares of Booking from $272.00 to $264.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Evercore set a $245.00 target price on Booking in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Booking has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $227.23.

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.