Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.84 EPS

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The business services provider reported $48.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $47.96 by $0.84, Zacks reports. Booking had a net margin of 19.37% and a negative return on equity of 134.86%.

Booking Price Performance

Booking stock traded up $129.84 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $4,269.99. 657,428 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 346,207. Booking has a 12 month low of $4,020.54 and a 12 month high of $5,839.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $137.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.21. The business has a 50 day moving average of $5,077.65 and a two-hundred day moving average of $5,208.10.

Insider Transactions at Booking

In other news, Director Robert J. Mylod, Jr. sold 40 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $5,105.36, for a total value of $204,214.40. Following the transaction, the director owned 840 shares in the company, valued at $4,288,502.40. This represents a 4.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 953 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5,181.34, for a total transaction of $4,937,817.02. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 19,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $101,631,984.10. This trade represents a 4.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 2,096 shares of company stock worth $11,120,014 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of Booking by 34.9% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 251 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,249,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its holdings in Booking by 50.0% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 87 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $504,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Booking during the 4th quarter valued at about $209,000. Finally, Kovack Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter valued at about $209,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BKNG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. BNP Paribas Exane set a $6,100.00 price objective on Booking in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Booking in a report on Monday, December 29th. B. Riley Financial upped their price target on shares of Booking from $6,700.00 to $6,800.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Bank of America raised shares of Booking from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $6,000.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Twenty-six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $6,171.56.

Booking News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Booking reported a quarterly EPS beat — $48.80 vs. consensus $47.96 — and posted a healthy 19.37% net margin, which appears to be the primary catalyst for the rally. The company’s earnings press release is here. Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic initiatives: coverage highlights Booking’s brand and AI push through KAYAK (branding, AI-driven search/UX improvements), which investors view as supportive of future growth and margin expansion. Booking Routes Brand Push
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation/idea pieces: several articles debate whether recent weakness creates a DCF-driven buying opportunity and compare Booking vs. Airbnb — these frames can attract both long-biased investors and short-term traders. DCF Opportunity Booking vs Airbnb
• Neutral Sentiment: Scheduled disclosure: the company had announced timing for the Q4/full‑year release (PR News notice) — now that results are out, the focus shifts to guidance and management commentary. Earnings Release Notice
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest reports in the feed show zero shares and inconsistent figures (likely data noise), so short interest is not a meaningful immediate driver based on these entries.
• Negative Sentiment: Structural/technical concerns: Booking’s stock trades well below its 50‑ and 200‑day moving averages, and the company reported a negative return on equity figure in the release — these items temper the rally and could limit near‑term upside if guidance or macro travel demand cues disappoint.

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.