Lbp Am Sa has increased its investment in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: BKNG) by acquiring an additional 518 shares during the third quarter of 2023. This move raised its total holdings in the online travel company by 22.9%, bringing the total number of shares owned to 2,782. According to the latest Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Lbp Am Sa’s stake in Booking is now valued at approximately $15,021,000.
Several other institutional investors have also adjusted their positions in Booking Holdings recently. For instance, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC increased its holdings by 150% during the third quarter, now owning 5 shares valued at $27,000. Similarly, Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake by 400% in the second quarter, bringing its total to 5 shares worth $29,000. Other notable changes include Davis Capital Management, which acquired a new position valued at about $32,000, and Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC, which doubled its holdings to 6 shares, now worth $35,000. Currently, institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.42% of Booking’s stock.
Current Stock Performance and Analyst Forecasts
As of Monday, Booking’s stock opened at $5,098.50. The company has a market capitalization of $164.32 billion, a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 33.14, and a beta of 1.23. Over the past year, the stock has experienced a low of $4,096.23 and a high of $5,839.41. Analysts have expressed optimism about Booking’s future performance, with various research firms recently updating their price targets.
BNP Paribas Exane set a price target of $6,100.00 on November 24, 2023. BTIG Research maintained a “buy” rating while issuing a target of $6,250.00 on December 23, 2023. B. Riley raised its target from $6,700.00 to $6,800.00, while Cantor Fitzgerald increased its target from $5,550.00 to $5,830.00, maintaining a “neutral” rating.
According to MarketBeat.com, Booking currently holds a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” with a price target of $6,209.94. Notably, one analyst rated the stock as a Strong Buy, while twenty-seven analysts issued Buy ratings and nine suggested holding.
Recent Insider Transactions
In addition to institutional investments, insider trading activity has also been noteworthy. On January 15, 2024, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 953 shares at an average price of $5,181.34, resulting in a total transaction value of approximately $4,937,817.02. Following this sale, Fogel holds 19,615 shares valued at about $101,631,984.10, reflecting a 4.63% decrease in ownership.
Additionally, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 15 shares on the same day for an average price of $5,191.15, totaling approximately $77,867.25. Post-transaction, Wittman retains 687 shares valued at around $3,566,320.05, leading to a 2.14% decrease in her ownership. Over the past ninety days, insiders have sold 3,324 shares valued at approximately $17,190,323, while insider ownership now stands at 0.16% of the company’s stock.
Booking Holdings Inc. operates as a global online travel company, facilitating the search and booking of travel services through various consumer brands and technology platforms. Founded as Priceline in the late 1990s, the company rebranded to Booking Holdings in 2018 and is headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut. Its core services include hotel reservations, flight and car rental bookings, and related travel services, accessible via consumer-facing websites and apps.
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