Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty-six ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-nine have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $5,845.6061.

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $4,495.00 price target (down from $5,830.00) on shares of Booking in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Citizens Jmp reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. UBS Group set a $6,485.00 target price on Booking and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. KeyCorp cut their target price on Booking from $6,500.00 to $5,935.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Booking from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, March 21st.

Booking Stock Down 3.6%

NASDAQ BKNG opened at $4,062.14 on Friday. Booking has a 52 week low of $3,765.45 and a 52 week high of $5,839.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $128.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.45, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a fifty day moving average of $4,458.66 and a two-hundred day moving average of $4,961.41.

Shares of Booking are scheduled to split on Monday, April 6th. The 25-1 split was announced on Wednesday, February 18th. The newly created shares will be issued to shareholders after the market closes on Thursday, April 2nd.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The business services provider reported $48.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $47.96 by $0.84. The business had revenue of $6.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.12 billion. Booking had a net margin of 20.08% and a negative return on equity of 128.99%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $41.55 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Booking will post 209.92 EPS for the current year.

Booking Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a $10.50 dividend. This is a boost from Booking’s previous quarterly dividend of $9.60. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $42.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.28%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 15 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5,191.15, for a total value of $77,867.25. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 687 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,566,320.05. This represents a 2.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert J. Mylod, Jr. sold 40 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $5,105.36, for a total transaction of $204,214.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 840 shares in the company, valued at $4,288,502.40. This represents a 4.55% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 2,749 shares of company stock worth $12,571,467 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Booking

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new position in shares of Booking during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Booking by 150.0% during the third quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 5 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 3 shares in the last quarter. Guerra Advisors Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Booking in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Daytona Street Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Booking in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Legacy Bridge LLC bought a new position in Booking in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. 92.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.