Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG - Get Free Report) shares gapped up prior to trading on Friday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The stock had previously closed at $3,472.91, but opened at $3,700.00. Booking shares last traded at $3,700.00, with a volume of 159,825 shares changing hands.
The business services provider reported $20.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $14.03 by $6.36. The firm had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.25 billion. Booking had a net margin of 20.08% and a negative return on equity of 751.49%. The business's revenue was up 16.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $11.60 EPS.
Booking Dividend Announcement
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th were issued a dividend of $8.75 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $35.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.98%. Booking's payout ratio is presently 29.67%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
BKNG has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Erste Group Bank reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $4,205.00 price objective (up from $4,150.00) on shares of Booking in a research report on Friday. DA Davidson boosted their target price on Booking from $4,100.00 to $4,150.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. B. Riley initiated coverage on Booking in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. They set a "buy" rating and a $4,400.00 target price on the stock. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on Booking from $4,000.00 to $4,200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $3,823.00.
View Our Latest Analysis on Booking
Insider Activity at Booking
In other Booking news, Director Radakovich Lynn Vojvodich sold 59 shares of Booking stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,700.00, for a total transaction of $218,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 289 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,069,300. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 750 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,534.10, for a total transaction of $2,650,575.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 26,971 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $95,318,211.10. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Radakovich Lynn Vojvodich sold 59 shares of Booking stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,700.00, for a total transaction of $218,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 289 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,069,300. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 5,483 shares of company stock worth $18,891,445 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.15% of the company's stock.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Booking
Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its holdings in Booking by 22.6% in the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 4,574 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $14,106,000 after purchasing an additional 844 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Booking by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 4,207 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $12,973,000 after acquiring an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Booking by 3,500.0% in the 3rd quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 72 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $222,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Booking by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 11,212 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $34,577,000 after purchasing an additional 529 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Booking by 6.3% in the third quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 85 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $262,000 after purchasing an additional 5 shares in the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Booking Trading Up 3.0 %
The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $3,523.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $3,395.60. The company has a market capitalization of $121.70 billion, a PE ratio of 30.32, a PEG ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.40.
About Booking
(
Get Free Report)
Booking Holdings Inc, formerly The Priceline Group Inc, is a provider of travel and restaurant online reservation and related services. The Company, through its online travel companies (OTCs), connects consumers wishing to make travel reservations with providers of travel services across the world. It offers consumers an array of accommodation reservations (including hotels, bed and breakfasts, hostels, apartments, vacation rentals and other properties) through its Booking.com, priceline.com and agoda.com brands.
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