Booking’s (BKNG) “Buy” Rating Reiterated at DA Davidson

DA Davidson reiterated their buy rating on shares of Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) in a research report report published on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $240.00 price target on the business services provider’s stock.

Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on BKNG. Citizens Jmp restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Booking from $260.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Barclays set a $220.00 price target on shares of Booking and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of Booking from $224.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, HSBC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $309.84 price target on shares of Booking in a report on Thursday, February 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $234.50.

Booking Stock Performance

BKNG opened at $173.46 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $137.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.20. Booking has a fifty-two week low of $150.62 and a fifty-two week high of $233.58. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $172.51 and its 200 day moving average is $195.47.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The business services provider reported $48.80 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $46.88. The business had revenue of $6.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.12 billion. Booking had a net margin of 20.08% and a negative return on equity of 128.99%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.66 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Booking will post 209.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Booking Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th were given a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 6th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.26%.

Insider Transactions at Booking

In other news, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 375 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.65, for a total value of $77,867.25. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 17,175 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,566,320.05. This represents a 2.14% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 16,725 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.68, for a total transaction of $2,871,414.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 314,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $54,063,291.60. This represents a 5.04% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 68,725 shares of company stock valued at $12,571,467. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Booking

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BKNG. Purpose Unlimited Inc. purchased a new position in Booking during the fourth quarter worth about $1,339,000. Cornerstone Planning LLC acquired a new position in Booking during the 4th quarter worth approximately $536,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its position in shares of Booking by 13.6% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 3,327 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $17,820,000 after buying an additional 398 shares during the last quarter. Osbon Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Booking during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, World Investment Advisors raised its position in Booking by 8.6% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 3,065 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $16,412,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares during the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Booking News

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Several brokers and outlets are bullish: DA Davidson issued a Buy and BTIG reaffirmed Buy, supporting demand from institutional buyers. DA Davidson Buy BTIG Reaffirms Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and research pieces highlight Booking’s strong earnings-surprise track record and suggest another likely beat in the next quarter — a near-term catalyst for upside. Earnings-Beat Preview
• Positive Sentiment: Positive takeaways from retail-investor and value-focused outlets argue Booking’s capital-light model, expanding add-on services, and large inventory make a buy-the-dip case. This supports medium-term demand. Fool: Buy the Dip
• Neutral Sentiment: Overall analyst coverage remains constructive (>80% bullish), which helps sentiment but doesn’t guarantee immediate upside amid macro uncertainty. Analyst Sentiment
• Neutral Sentiment: Short interest moved lower in late March (about 806,849 shares, ~0.1% of float, ~2.5 days to cover), which reduces immediate short-cover-driven volatility; April short-interest data in filings appears inconsistent/erroneous (zeros/NaN) and should be treated as noisy. (Internal short-interest notices)
• Neutral Sentiment: Several “trending” and stock-fact articles are increasing retail attention; that can amplify moves but is ambiguous in direction. Trending Stock Coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Some sell-side caution: a notable price-target reduction and Wells Fargo’s trimmed target/refreshed outlook referenced geopolitical and macro risks, which can pressure sentiment and cap near-term upside. Wells Fargo Note Price Target Cut

About Booking

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.