Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 806,849 shares, a decline of 15.5% from the March 15th total of 955,124 shares. Currently, 0.1% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 322,443 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.5 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $244.00 target price on shares of Booking in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Tigress Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $260.00 price objective (up from $244.00) on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Barclays set a $220.00 price objective on Booking and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and set a $179.80 price objective (down from $233.20) on shares of Booking in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Booking in a report on Thursday, February 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $234.47.

Insider Activity at Booking

In other news, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 16,726 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.36, for a total transaction of $3,100,331.36. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 298,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $55,269,532.64. The trade was a 5.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Robert J. Mylod, Jr. sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.21, for a total value of $204,214.40. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 21,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,288,502.40. This represents a 4.55% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 59,751 shares of company stock worth $10,343,629. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Booking

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BKNG. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Booking by 34.9% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 251 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,249,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Booking in the 4th quarter worth $209,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings 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 worth $955,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its holdings 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 worth $504,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the period. Finally, Osterweis Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Booking in the 2nd quarter worth $179,000. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Booking News

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: High‑profile bullish call: Jim Cramer said BKNG could “soar” once the Iran conflict ends, a visible retail/media endorsement that can drive buy‑the‑dip flows. Jim Cramer on Booking Holdings
• Positive Sentiment: Near‑term demand signal: KAYAK/Booking data shows rising European road‑trip interest ahead of May holidays, supporting bookings momentum for Booking’s brands. KAYAK road trips rise story
• Positive Sentiment: Macro tailwind easing: Market commentary highlights a possible de‑escalation in the Iran situation (Strait of Hormuz news), which could remove a major travel headwind and support reopening/travel demand. MarketBeat: Down 15, Is It Time to Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Market framing/research notes: Several articles argue the recent ~15% YTD pullback creates a valuation check — some see a buy‑the‑dip case, but coverage is mixed and not a consensus buy signal. MarketBeat down 15 piece
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor letter / thematic chatter: Middle Coast Investing’s Q1 letter discusses “memes,” AI and market behavior — useful for sentiment context but not a direct catalyst for BKNG fundamentals. Middle Coast Investing letter
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst mix: Broker notes remain mixed — MarketBeat shows a consensus “Moderate Buy” with a ~$234 average target, but individual ratings/targets vary widely and cap conviction. MarketBeat BKNG page
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst stance: Wells Fargo reaffirmed a Hold on BKNG, which can limit upside from institutional/momentum buyers. Wells Fargo Hold note
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale: CEO Glenn Fogel sold ~16.7k shares under a pre‑arranged 10b5‑1 plan; routine disclosure but can spook some investors when combined with recent sector headwinds. SEC Form 4 disclosure

Booking Stock Up 4.0%

BKNG opened at $192.01 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $171.87 and a 200 day moving average of $194.19. Booking has a 52-week low of $150.62 and a 52-week high of $233.58. The stock has a market cap of $152.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.89, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.20.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The business services provider reported $48.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.92 by $46.88. Booking had a negative return on equity of 128.99% and a net margin of 20.08%.The company had revenue of $6.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.66 EPS. Booking’s revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Booking will post 209.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Booking Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th were issued a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 6th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.26%.

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.