HighTower Advisors LLC Has $49.61 Million Stock Position in Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 4.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 9,184 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 422 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Booking were worth $49,609,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of BKNG. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Booking in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,210,917,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Booking by 578,824.0% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 289,462 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,675,765,000 after purchasing an additional 289,412 shares during the period. Vestor Capital LLC increased its position in Booking by 658,925.0% in the 2nd quarter. Vestor Capital LLC now owns 105,444 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $610,441,000 after buying an additional 105,428 shares during the period. Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. bought a new position in Booking during the second quarter worth $536,675,000. Finally, Rakuten Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Booking during the third quarter valued at about $468,252,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Booking News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Booking’s “connected-trip” segment is growing >20%, improving margins and cash-flow timing; management’s AI partnerships (including ChatGPT integration) could boost conversion and long-term revenue per user. Booking.com Stock Is Down 27 — Can Connected-Trip Growth and AI Integration Drive a Rebound?
• Positive Sentiment: KAYAK-led brand/AI changes signal a strategic push to raise conversion and streamline inventory/pricing, which could help Booking reclaim share or improve margins if execution succeeds. Booking Holdings Routes Brand Push And AI Shift Through KAYAK Changes
• Neutral Sentiment: Booking will post Q4 and full-year 2025 results on Feb. 18 (around 4:00 p.m. ET); outcomes and guidance will likely drive the next directional move. Booking Holdings to Make Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Earnings Press Release Available on Company’s Investor Relations Website on February 18
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts expect strong EPS growth for Q4 but flag U.S. pricing softness and booking normalization — a beat could re-rate shares, while conservative guidance would cap upside. BKNG Gears Up to Report Q4 Earnings: What’s in Store for the Stock?
• Negative Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights share-price weakness and valuation questions (DCF-based debate); if results or guidance disappoint, valuation-driven selling could continue. Do Recent Share Price Weakness And DCF Estimates Signal An Opportunity In Booking Holdings (BKNG)?
• Negative Sentiment: Comparisons with Airbnb highlight competitive risks — marketplace mix, pricing power and product differentiation remain potential headwinds if Airbnb or others gain share. Booking Vs. Airbnb: Which Travel Giant Wins The 2026 Upside Race?
• Negative Sentiment: Data entries report a “large increase” in short interest for February but show zero/NaN figures and inconsistencies — whether this reflects positioning or reporting errors, it increases near-term uncertainty and potential volatility ahead of earnings.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Robert J. Mylod, Jr. sold 40 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $5,105.36, for a total transaction of $204,214.40. Following the sale, the director directly owned 840 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,288,502.40. This represents a 4.55% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 15 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5,191.15, for a total value of $77,867.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 687 shares in the company, valued at $3,566,320.05. The trade was a 2.14% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 2,096 shares of company stock worth $11,120,014. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Booking Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of Booking stock opened at $4,140.15 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $133.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.21. Booking Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $4,020.54 and a twelve month high of $5,839.41. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $5,077.65 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $5,208.10.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on BKNG shares. B. Riley Financial raised their price objective on shares of Booking from $6,700.00 to $6,800.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Mizuho upgraded Booking from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $6,000.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their price objective on shares of Booking from $6,250.00 to $6,400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Booking in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Booking from $5,523.00 to $5,954.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Twenty-six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $6,171.56.

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.