Shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG – Get Free Report) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty-six analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $236.4529.
Several analysts have commented on BKNG shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and issued a $230.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. DA Davidson set a $240.00 target price on Booking in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating and issued a $234.00 target price on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and set a $236.00 price target (up from $225.00) on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $215.00 price target on Booking and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th.
Check Out Our Latest Report on Booking
Booking Trading Down 3.2%
Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $7.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.19 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $55.40 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Booking will post 10.48 earnings per share for the current year.
Booking Announces Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 11th. Booking’s payout ratio is 18.58%.
Insider Buying and Selling at Booking
In other news, CFO Ewout L. Steenbergen sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $211.03, for a total value of $4,220,600.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 59,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,618,327.82. This represents a 25.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP Peter J. Millones sold 50,050 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.59, for a total transaction of $10,389,879.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 375,025 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $77,851,439.75. The trade was a 11.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 77,550 shares of company stock valued at $16,112,304 over the last 90 days. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Booking
Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its stake in shares of Booking by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 121 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $700,000 after buying an additional 2 shares during the last quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC raised its stake in Booking by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC now owns 289 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,548,000 after buying an additional 3 shares during the last quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Booking by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 246 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,317,000 after acquiring an additional 3 shares in the last quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC grew its stake in shares of Booking by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 97 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $518,000 after acquiring an additional 3 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Diversify Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Booking by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 45 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $239,000 after acquiring an additional 3 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.42% of the company’s stock.
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.
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