Airbnb (NASDAQ:ABNB) Earns Buy Rating from Analysts at Benchmark

Benchmark started coverage on shares of Airbnb (NASDAQ:ABNB) in a research note published on Thursday, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage issued a buy rating and a $190.00 price target on the stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on ABNB. DA Davidson reissued a neutral rating and issued a $145.00 price target on shares of Airbnb in a report on Friday, March 15th. Tigress Financial lifted their target price on shares of Airbnb from $185.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a hold rating on shares of Airbnb in a report on Thursday. Wedbush reaffirmed a neutral rating and issued a $160.00 price objective (up previously from $150.00) on shares of Airbnb in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Airbnb from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nineteen have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $147.58.

Airbnb Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ABNB opened at $159.37 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $158.53 and its 200 day moving average is $141.58. The company has a quick ratio of 1.66, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. Airbnb has a 52 week low of $103.55 and a 52 week high of $170.10. The stock has a market cap of $103.12 billion, a PE ratio of 22.01, a PEG ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.25.

Airbnb (NASDAQ:ABNB) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.09. Airbnb had a return on equity of 40.96% and a net margin of 48.32%. The company had revenue of $2.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.16 billion. Research analysts anticipate that Airbnb will post 4.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Airbnb news, CEO Brian Chesky sold 82,033 shares of Airbnb stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.55, for a total value of $11,037,540.15. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 14,937,647 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,009,860,403.85. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, CTO Aristotle N. Balogh sold 2,750 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.00, for a total transaction of $374,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer now directly owns 151,146 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,555,856. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Brian Chesky sold 82,033 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.55, for a total transaction of $11,037,540.15. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 14,937,647 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,009,860,403.85. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 615,367 shares of company stock worth $94,049,172 over the last quarter. Insiders own 30.84% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Airbnb

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ABNB. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA increased its position in shares of Airbnb by 34.7% during the 4th quarter. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA now owns 31,612 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,304,000 after purchasing an additional 8,140 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in Airbnb by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 8,221 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,119,000 after buying an additional 333 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in Airbnb by 27.5% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,268,390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $172,742,000 after acquiring an additional 273,191 shares during the last quarter. LGT Group Foundation raised its stake in shares of Airbnb by 8.1% in the third quarter. LGT Group Foundation now owns 316,545 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,227,000 after acquiring an additional 23,716 shares during the period. Finally, Vestor Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Airbnb by 83.8% in the second quarter. Vestor Capital LLC now owns 86,548 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,092,000 after acquiring an additional 39,452 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.76% of the company’s stock.

About Airbnb

Airbnb, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates a platform that enables hosts to offer stays and experiences to guests worldwide. The company's marketplace connects hosts and guests online or through mobile devices to book spaces and experiences. It primarily offers private rooms, primary homes, and vacation homes.