Booking Holdings Inc. (BKNG) - What Are Brokerages Thinking About This Stock?

Key Points

• Analysts remain broadly positive: Booking Holdings has a “Moderate Buy” consensus from 37 analysts, with an average 12-month price target of $233.95 versus the reported share price of $157.51.
• Recent results exceeded expectations: Booking reported quarterly EPS of $2.54, above the $2.43 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 8.1% year over year to $7.35 billion.
• Institutional ownership is substantial, but insiders have been selling: Institutions and hedge funds own 92.42% of the stock, while insiders sold 83,050 shares worth approximately $17.2 million over the past 90 days.

Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the thirty-seven analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have assigned a hold recommendation, twenty-six have assigned a buy recommendation and three have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $233.95.

Several research analysts have issued reports on BKNG shares. DA Davidson set a $240.00 price target on shares of Booking in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. TD Cowen upgraded Booking to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, September 14th. BTIG Research reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a "market perform" rating and set a $188.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 26th. Finally, B. Riley Financial reissued a "buy" rating and set a $274.00 price objective (up from $264.00) on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Booking

In related news, insider Paulo Pisano sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.02, for a total value of $259,530.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 71,900 shares in the company, valued at $12,440,138. This trade represents a 2.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed 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 Booking stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $211.03, for a total value of $4,220,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 59,794 shares in the company, valued at $12,618,327.82. This represents a 25.06% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 83,050 shares of company stock valued at $17,182,274 over the last 90 days. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Booking in the second quarter worth approximately $11,646,302,000. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Booking by 2,674.6% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 39,420,711 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $7,026,348,000 after acquiring an additional 37,999,915 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new stake in shares of Booking during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,691,186,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Booking in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,370,455,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in shares of Booking by 2,525.5% in the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 6,101,866 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,087,597,000 after acquiring an additional 5,869,459 shares in the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Booking Trading Down 0.6%

NASDAQ:BKNG opened at $157.51 on Wednesday. Booking has a twelve month low of $150.14 and a twelve month high of $220.81. The company has a 50-day moving average of $184.86 and a 200-day moving average of $177.69. The firm has a market cap of $118.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.13.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 period in the previous year, the firm earned $55.40 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Booking will post 10.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 11th were issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 11th. Booking's dividend payout ratio is currently 18.58%.

About Booking

Booking Holdings Inc is a global online travel and restaurant reservation company headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut. Through its digital platforms, the company helps consumers search for, compare and reserve accommodations, flights, rental cars, vacation packages, attractions and restaurant reservations.

Its portfolio includes Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, KAYAK, OpenTable, Rentalcars.com and the travel metasearch brands Momondo and Cheapflights. Booking.com is primarily known for lodging reservations, while Priceline focuses on travel deals, Agoda serves customers across international markets with a strong presence in Asia, KAYAK and its related brands provide travel search and comparison services, and OpenTable operates a restaurant reservation platform.

The company was founded in 1997 as Priceline.com and was later renamed The Priceline Group before adopting the Booking Holdings name in 2018.

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