Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) Given “Buy” Rating at DA Davidson

DA Davidson restated their buy rating on shares of Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) in a research report released on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $240.00 target price on the business services provider’s stock.

Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on BKNG. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a research note on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Booking from $240.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Booking from $260.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $179.80 price objective (down from $233.20) on shares of Booking in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Booking from $250.00 to $224.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $234.50.

Booking Trading Up 4.4%

Shares of Booking stock opened at $181.00 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 1.09, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.20. Booking has a 1-year low of $150.62 and a 1-year high of $233.58. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $173.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $196.06.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The business services provider reported $48.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $46.88. The firm had revenue of $6.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.12 billion. Booking had a net margin of 20.08% and a negative return on equity of 128.99%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.66 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Booking will post 209.92 EPS for the current year.

Booking Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th were issued a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 6th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.28%.

Insider Activity at Booking

In related news, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 375 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.65, for a total value of $77,867.25. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 17,175 shares in the company, valued at $3,566,320.05. This represents a 2.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 23,825 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.25, for a total transaction of $4,937,817.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 490,375 shares in the company, valued at $101,631,984.10. This represents a 4.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 68,725 shares of company stock worth $12,571,467 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Booking

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Purpose Unlimited Inc. acquired a new stake in Booking in the fourth quarter worth $1,339,000. Cornerstone Planning LLC acquired a new stake in Booking in the fourth quarter worth $536,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its holdings in Booking by 13.6% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 3,327 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $17,820,000 after purchasing an additional 398 shares during the period. Osbon Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Booking in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Finally, World Investment Advisors raised its holdings in Booking by 8.6% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 3,065 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $16,412,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares during the period. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Booking

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Tigress Financial raised its price target to $260 and put a “strong-buy” rating on BKNG, signaling meaningful upside and likely supporting bullish flows. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: BTIG reiterated a “buy” rating with a $250 target, and DA Davidson reaffirmed a $240 target — multiple buy-side confirmations that boost investor confidence in recovery potential. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo trimmed its price target slightly (from $5,456 to $5,377) but kept an Equal Weight rating, reflecting a cautious near‑term view tied to external risks rather than company fundamentals — this moderates upside but is not a full downgrade. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary about a recent share split and a new 52‑week low has prompted “buy the dip” commentary from some outlets, which can attract long‑term bargain hunters even as short‑term volatility persists. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing geopolitical tensions (notably the Iran war) are cited as the main external headwind weighing on travel demand for BKNG, and some coverage links recent sharp intraday weakness to that risk — a key catalyst pushing cautious positioning. Read More.

About Booking

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.