Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Booking Holdings has a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy” from 37 brokerages, with 28 buy ratings and an average 1-year price target of about $227.14.
• Recent analyst updates were mixed: some firms trimmed their price targets, but several still maintained bullish ratings such as buy or outperform.
• The company posted quarterly results that beat EPS and revenue estimates, while also announcing a quarterly dividend of $0.42 per share payable June 30.

Shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG - Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the thirty-seven brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twenty-eight have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $227.1388.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. B. Riley Financial lowered their price objective on Booking from $272.00 to $264.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 27th. Evercore set a $245.00 price objective on Booking in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Susquehanna set a $260.00 price objective on Booking in a report on Friday, February 20th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Booking from $248.00 to $240.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Booking from $224.00 to $180.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 23rd.

Key Stories Impacting Booking

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Several broker-focused reports highlighted that Wall Street’s average recommendation on Booking Holdings remains favorable, which could support the stock if investors continue to view BKNG as an attractive travel-sector name. Brokers Suggest Investing in Booking Holdings (BKNG): Read This Before Placing a Bet
• Positive Sentiment: Dodge & Cox Fund said it initiated a position in Booking Holdings in its first-quarter letter, a sign that a respected value-oriented investor sees long-term upside in the company. Dodge and Cox Fund Initiated Booking Holdings (BKNG) on Overlooked Advantage
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent “Travel Stocks To Watch” and valuation-comparison articles may keep BKNG on investors’ radar, but they do not appear to include new information that would materially change the stock’s outlook. Travel Stocks To Watch Today - June 7th
• Negative Sentiment: BKNG’s latest trading-session update showed the stock declining more than the broader market, reinforcing near-term weakness and suggesting investor caution around the name. Booking Holdings (BKNG) Sees a More Significant Dip Than Broader Market: Some Facts to Know

Insider Transactions at Booking

In other news, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 1,125 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.00, for a total transaction of $216,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 16,050 shares in the company, valued at $3,081,600. The trade was a 6.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP Peter J. Millones sold 62,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.67, for a total value of $10,229,375.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 425,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,572,025.25. This represents a 12.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 97,076 shares of company stock worth $16,417,121 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Cardano Risk Management B.V. increased its stake in shares of Booking by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 22,669 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $122,396,000 after purchasing an additional 1,514 shares in the last quarter. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Booking during the 4th quarter worth approximately $361,463,000. Rit Capital Partners PLC purchased a new position in shares of Booking during the 4th quarter worth approximately $51,396,000. Longbow Finance SA increased its stake in shares of Booking by 121.9% during the 3rd quarter. Longbow Finance SA now owns 1,875 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $10,124,000 after purchasing an additional 1,030 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rathbones Group PLC increased its stake in shares of Booking by 20.5% during the 4th quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 64,908 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $347,604,000 after purchasing an additional 11,042 shares in the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Booking Trading Down 2.0%

BKNG stock opened at $160.64 on Thursday. Booking has a 12-month low of $150.14 and a 12-month high of $233.58. The stock has a market cap of $124.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.13, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.08. The business's 50-day moving average is $169.52 and its 200 day moving average is $184.45.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.06. Booking had a negative return on equity of 117.14% and a net margin of 22.23%.The company had revenue of $5.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.52 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.99 EPS. Booking's revenue was up 16.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Booking will post 10.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. Booking's payout ratio is currently 22.11%.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.