Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) Director Sells $200,000.00 in Stock

Key Points

• Booking director Robert Mylod Jr. sold 1,000 shares for $200,000 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, reducing his direct holdings by 6.67% to 14,000 shares.
• Booking shares rose 2.0% to $199.60, while the company reported quarterly EPS of $2.54 and revenue of $7.35 billion, exceeding analyst estimates; revenue increased 8.1% year over year.
• Analysts maintain a favorable outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and $236.70 price target. Booking also declared a $0.42 quarterly dividend, and institutional investors own 92.42% of its shares.

Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG - Get Free Report) Director Robert Mylod, Jr. sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $200,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 14,000 shares in the company, valued at $2,800,000. The trade was a 6.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Booking Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of BKNG stock traded up $3.91 on Wednesday, hitting $199.60. The stock had a trading volume of 4,845,286 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,163,461. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $193.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $177.91. The company has a market cap of $149.98 billion, a PE ratio of 22.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.07. Booking Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $150.14 and a one year high of $226.10.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.43 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $7.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.19 billion. Booking had a net margin of 25.53% and a negative return on equity of 102.96%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $55.40 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.48 EPS for the current year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be paid a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 11th. Booking's payout ratio is 18.58%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on BKNG shares. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $270.00 price target on shares of Booking in a report on Monday, August 24th. Benchmark increased their target price on shares of Booking from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $220.00 price target on Booking and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. BMO Capital Markets restated an "outperform" rating and set a $250.00 target price (up from $240.00) on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $230.00 price target on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Booking currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $236.70.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BKNG. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG purchased a new position in Booking in the second quarter valued at $11,687,000. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC grew its position in shares of Booking by 2,860.8% during the 2nd quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 12,554 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $2,238,000 after acquiring an additional 12,130 shares during the period. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Booking during the 4th quarter valued at about $361,463,000. Merit Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Booking by 1,663.9% in the 2nd quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 28,698 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $5,115,000 after purchasing an additional 27,071 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Booking by 2,643.0% in the 2nd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 527,425 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $94,008,000 after purchasing an additional 508,197 shares during the period. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Booking News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Rosenblatt Securities initiated coverage with a Buy/Strong Buy rating and a $245 price target, implying roughly 23%–25% upside from the referenced share price. The firm considers Booking one of the best-positioned online travel agencies despite industry challenges, providing the main near-term catalyst for the stock. Rosenblatt initiates coverage of Booking
• Positive Sentiment: The bullish research follows Booking’s second-quarter earnings beat: adjusted earnings per share came in at $2.54 versus the $2.43 consensus, while revenue of $7.35 billion exceeded estimates of $7.19 billion and rose 8.1% year over year. The results have supported the stock’s recent advance and helped it outperform the broader market over the past six months. Booking buy, sell, or hold after Q2 earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary has also described Booking as a strong momentum stock, while other analysts maintain favorable ratings. The current consensus is Moderate Buy, with an average price target of approximately $236.70. Why Booking is a strong momentum stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Priceline CEO Brigit Zimmerman discussed travel trends ahead of the Labor Day weekend. The comments could provide insight into demand, but the available information does not indicate whether the trends are favorable or unfavorable for Booking. Priceline CEO discusses travel trends
• Negative Sentiment: Insider Paulo Pisano sold 3,000 shares for approximately $610,440. The transaction occurred under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan and he continues to own 73,400 shares, limiting the negative signal, but the sale could still weigh modestly on sentiment.

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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