Airbnb, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABNB) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Airbnb, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABNB) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 14,310,000 shares, a growth of 8.1% from the August 31st total of 13,240,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 4,840,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.0 days.

Airbnb Stock Performance

NASDAQ ABNB opened at $125.47 on Wednesday. Airbnb has a 52-week low of $110.38 and a 52-week high of $170.10. The stock has a market cap of $80.81 billion, a PE ratio of 16.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.16. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $122.82 and a 200-day moving average of $142.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a current ratio of 1.41.

Airbnb (NASDAQ:ABNB) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The company reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.92 by ($0.06). Airbnb had a return on equity of 34.74% and a net margin of 46.11%. The company had revenue of $2.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.74 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.98 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Airbnb will post 4.39 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Airbnb news, CTO Aristotle N. Balogh sold 600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.58, for a total value of $78,348.00. Following the sale, the chief technology officer now directly owns 195,244 shares in the company, valued at $25,494,961.52. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, CTO Aristotle N. Balogh sold 600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.58, for a total value of $78,348.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer now owns 195,244 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,494,961.52. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Brian Chesky sold 115,385 shares of Airbnb stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.95, for a total value of $17,532,750.75. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 13,914,302 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,114,278,188.90. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 552,389 shares of company stock valued at $75,733,256 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 27.83% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Airbnb

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Focus Financial Network Inc. ADV acquired a new stake in shares of Airbnb during the 4th quarter worth $218,000. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its stake in Airbnb by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 689,770 shares of the company’s stock worth $93,905,000 after buying an additional 29,615 shares in the last quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC increased its holdings in Airbnb by 72.2% in the 4th quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC now owns 4,044 shares of the company’s stock valued at $551,000 after buying an additional 1,695 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in shares of Airbnb by 204.0% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 526 shares of the company’s stock valued at $72,000 after buying an additional 353 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NEOS Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Airbnb by 44.1% during the 4th quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 20,462 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,786,000 after acquiring an additional 6,260 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.76% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ABNB has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Airbnb from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. TD Cowen decreased their target price on Airbnb from $170.00 to $125.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Raymond James assumed coverage on Airbnb in a research report on Friday, September 27th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $134.00 price target on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Airbnb in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Airbnb from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nineteen have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $134.16.

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.