Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) Reaches New 1-Year High – Here’s Why

Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $5,355.00 and last traded at $5,333.14, with a volume of 53960 shares. The stock had previously closed at $5,317.07.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on BKNG. B. Riley boosted their price target on Booking from $6,000.00 to $6,100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Erste Group Bank cut Booking from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. StockNews.com raised Booking from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Booking from $5,960.00 to $5,557.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Benchmark lifted their price objective on Booking from $5,000.00 to $5,900.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $5,299.29.

Booking Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $175.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.42. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $4,735.30 and a 200 day moving average of $4,881.13.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The business services provider reported $24.81 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $17.57 by $7.24. The firm had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. Booking had a negative return on equity of 159.34% and a net margin of 24.78%. Booking’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $20.39 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 209.92 EPS for the current year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th will be issued a dividend of $9.60 per share. This represents a $38.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 6th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.89%.

Institutional Trading of Booking

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BKNG. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc acquired a new stake in Booking in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Booking in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Booking during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Bernard Wealth Management Corp. purchased a new stake in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. 92.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Booking

Booking Holdings Inc, formerly The Priceline Group Inc, is a provider of travel and restaurant online reservation and related services. The Company, through its online travel companies (OTCs), connects consumers wishing to make travel reservations with providers of travel services across the world. It offers consumers an array of accommodation reservations (including hotels, bed and breakfasts, hostels, apartments, vacation rentals and other properties) through its Booking.com, priceline.com and agoda.com brands.