Insider Selling: Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) CEO Sells $3,100,331.36 in Stock

Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) CEO Glenn Fogel sold 16,726 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.36, for a total value of $3,100,331.36. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 298,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $55,269,532.64. This trade represents a 5.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Booking Price Performance

Shares of Booking stock opened at $192.01 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $171.87 and a 200 day moving average of $194.19. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $150.62 and a 12 month high of $233.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $152.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.20.

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

Booking Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th were paid 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 (DPR) is presently 25.26%.

Booking News Roundup

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Booking

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Krilogy Financial LLC raised its position in shares of Booking by 3,264.8% during the 1st quarter. Krilogy Financial LLC now owns 11,945 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $50,292,000 after acquiring an additional 11,590 shares in the last quarter. SVB Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Booking by 20.4% during the 1st quarter. SVB Wealth LLC now owns 1,185 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $4,990,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. Smith Salley Wealth Management raised its position in shares of Booking by 9.3% during the 1st quarter. Smith Salley Wealth Management now owns 659 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,775,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. BlueSky Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Booking during the 1st quarter worth about $396,000. Finally, BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S acquired a new stake in shares of Booking during the 1st quarter worth about $7,056,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BKNG has been the subject of several recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Booking from $224.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their price objective on Booking from $244.00 to $240.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 20th. DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $240.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Wedbush decreased their price objective on Booking from $240.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $234.47.

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.