Booking Holdings Inc. (BKNG) – What Are Investment Firms Thinking About This Stock?

Shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty-seven ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have assigned a hold recommendation, twenty-six have issued a buy recommendation and three have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $233.71.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on BKNG shares. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $215.00 target price (up from $195.00) on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price target (up from $240.00) on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Melius Research set a $225.00 price target on Booking in a research note on Tuesday. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $188.00 price target on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 26th. Finally, Susquehanna restated a “positive” rating and set a $240.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a report on Thursday, August 6th.

Booking Stock Up 0.8%

Booking stock opened at $163.92 on Wednesday. Booking has a 52-week low of $150.14 and a 52-week high of $220.81. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $180.09 and its 200 day moving average is $177.47. The company has a market cap of $123.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.14, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.13.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last announced its earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.43 by $0.11. Booking had a net margin of 25.53% and a negative return on equity of 102.96%. The business had revenue of $7.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $55.40 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Booking will post 10.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 11th were paid a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 11th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Booking’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.58%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Booking

In other news, VP Peter J. Millones sold 50,050 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.59, for a total value of $10,389,879.50. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 375,025 shares in the company, valued at approximately $77,851,439.75. This represents a 11.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Ewout L. Steenbergen sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $211.03, for a total transaction of $4,220,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 59,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,618,327.82. The trade was a 25.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 84,550 shares of company stock valued at $17,426,864. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bogart Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Booking by 3,475.0% during the second quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 143 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares during the last quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Booking by 3,550.0% in the 2nd quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC now owns 146 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the period. Osbon Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Booking in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. First Financial Corp IN increased its stake in shares of Booking by 2,400.0% during the second quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 150 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares during the period. Finally, Roble Belko & Company Inc increased its stake in shares of Booking by 2,400.0% during the second quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 150 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Booking Company Profile

Booking Holdings Inc is a global online travel and restaurant-reservation company that connects consumers with travel providers through digital platforms and mobile applications. Its services include accommodations, flights, rental cars, cruises, vacation packages, restaurant reservations and other travel-related offerings.

The company operates a portfolio of well-known brands, including Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, KAYAK, OpenTable, Rentalcars.com and Kayak-associated travel services.