Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) Receives Buy Rating from BTIG Research

BTIG Research reissued their buy rating on shares of Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) in a research report released on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $250.00 target price on the business services provider’s stock.

Several other research firms have also commented on BKNG. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their price target on shares of Booking from $244.00 to $240.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 20th. KeyCorp lowered their price target on shares of Booking from $260.00 to $237.40 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Robert W. Baird set a $234.00 price target on shares of Booking in a report on Thursday, February 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $236.80 price target on shares of Booking in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Benchmark lowered their price target on shares of Booking from $256.00 to $224.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Twenty-nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $233.73.

Booking Price Performance

Shares of BKNG opened at $173.41 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.49 billion, a PE ratio of 1.04, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 company’s fifty day moving average price is $174.17 and its 200-day moving average price is $196.35.

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

Booking Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th were given a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 6th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is 25.28%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Booking news, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 375 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.65, for a total value of $77,867.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 17,175 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,566,320.05. This represents a 2.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 23,825 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $101,631,984.10. This trade represents a 4.63% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 68,725 shares of company stock worth $12,571,467. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Booking by 150.0% in the third quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 5 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 3 shares during the period. Guerra Advisors Inc acquired a new position in shares of Booking in the third quarter worth about $27,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new position in shares of Booking in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Daytona Street Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Booking during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Legacy Bridge LLC acquired a new position in shares of Booking during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

More Booking News

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BTIG reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $250 price target (implying ~44% upside from current levels), which supports bullish analyst sentiment and could attract value/long-term buyers. BTIG Reaffirms Buy, $250 PT
• Neutral Sentiment: Booking completed a 25-for-1 stock split, lowering the per-share quoted price from the prior ~$4,000 range to roughly ~$170; the split is intended to increase accessibility/liquidity but can produce short-term noise. Booking Holdings completes 25-for-1 stock split
• Neutral Sentiment: Some coverage flags higher trading activity and intraday moves tied to the split becoming effective — this can exaggerate percentage moves that aren’t tied to fundamental changes. Why Booking Holdings Shares Are Moving Higher
• Negative Sentiment: Media outlets report a large intraday percentage decline (reports cite moves of ~-95%), largely reflecting the split-adjusted pricing and resulting volatility; headlines like “stock sinks” may amplify selling pressure even if fundamentals are unchanged. Booking Holdings Stock Sinks As Market Gains
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and commentary note macro/geo-political headwinds — specifically continued market worries around the Iran war — are weighing on travel sector sentiment and have contributed to Booking hitting new 52-week lows. How Should You Trade Booking After Split, New 52-Week Low?

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.