Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) Receives $236.98 Average Target Price from Brokerages

Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty-seven research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twenty-six have assigned a buy recommendation and three have assigned 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 $236.9829.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Booking from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Booking from $266.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. TD Cowen raised shares of Booking to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 14th. Morgan Stanley set a $230.00 price target on shares of Booking and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $215.00 price objective (up from $195.00) on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th.

Insider Transactions at Booking

In related news, Director Robert Mylod, Jr. sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $200,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 14,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,800,000. This trade represents a 6.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Vanessa Wittman sold 375 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $211.00, for a total value of $79,125.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 16,133 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,404,063. The trade was a 2.27% 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. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 83,050 shares of company stock valued at $17,182,274. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Booking

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Bogart Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Booking by 3,475.0% during the 2nd quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 143 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC boosted its position in Booking by 3,550.0% in the 2nd quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC now owns 146 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period. Osbon Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Booking in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. First Financial Corp IN grew its stake in Booking by 2,400.0% in the 2nd quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 150 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Roble Belko & Company Inc grew its stake in Booking by 2,400.0% in the 2nd quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 150 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Booking Stock Performance

Shares of Booking stock opened at $168.52 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $126.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.07. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $193.13 and a 200-day moving average price of $179.25. Booking has a one year low of $150.14 and a one year high of $225.00.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.43 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $7.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.19 billion. Booking had a negative return on equity of 102.96% and a net margin of 25.53%.Booking’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $55.40 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Booking will post 10.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

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 paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 11th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.58%.

About Booking

Booking Holdings Inc is a global provider of online travel and related services. The company connects consumers with accommodations, flights, rental cars, restaurants and travel experiences through a portfolio of digital brands and websites.

Its principal brands include Booking.com, which offers lodging, transportation and travel experiences; Priceline, which provides online booking services for hotels, flights, rental cars and vacation packages; Agoda, which focuses primarily on travel bookings in Asia and other international markets; KAYAK, a travel metasearch engine; OpenTable, a restaurant reservation and management platform; and Rentalcars.com, a global car rental service.

Booking Holdings serves customers, travel providers and restaurants across numerous countries and regions, with a particularly extensive international presence.