Sapient Capital LLC Sells 3,822 Shares of Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

Sapient Capital LLC lowered its stake in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 37.5% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 6,382 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 3,822 shares during the period. Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings in Booking were worth $26,867,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in Booking by 34.9% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 251 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,249,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Booking in the 4th quarter worth about $209,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Booking by 25.0% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 165 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $955,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its position in shares of Booking by 50.0% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 87 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $504,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Osterweis Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Booking during the 2nd quarter valued at about $179,000. 92.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Booking Price Performance

NASDAQ:BKNG opened at $192.90 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $175.71 and a 200 day moving average of $176.59. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $150.14 and a 52 week high of $231.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $149.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.07.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BKNG has been the subject of several research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on Booking from $244.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $215.00 target price on shares of Booking and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of Booking from $230.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of Booking from $234.00 to $215.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Piper Sandler set a $195.00 price target on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $227.23.

More Booking News

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.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Booking news, Director Robert J. Mylod, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director owned 16,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,200,000. The trade was a 23.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 1,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.00, for a total transaction of $216,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 16,508 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,169,536. This trade represents a 6.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 68,625 shares of company stock valued at $11,445,375 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

About Booking

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.