Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) Coverage Initiated at Wedbush

Analysts at Wedbush began coverage on shares of Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) in a report released on Thursday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm set an “outperform” rating and a $211.00 price target on the business services provider’s stock. Wedbush’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 16.14% from the stock’s previous close.

BKNG has been the subject of several other reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Booking from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Booking from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Booking from $259.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Argus set a $210.00 price objective on shares of Booking and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of Booking from $248.00 to $240.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. One 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Booking has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $227.29.

Booking Stock Down 1.6%

Booking stock opened at $181.68 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $140.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.90, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.07. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $169.88 and its 200 day moving average is $179.23. Booking has a twelve month low of $150.14 and a twelve month high of $231.80.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.06. Booking had a negative return on equity of 117.14% and a net margin of 22.23%.The company had revenue of $5.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.52 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.99 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Booking will post 10.43 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Booking

In related news, VP Peter J. Millones sold 62,500 shares of Booking stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.67, for a total value of $10,229,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 425,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,572,025.25. This trade represents a 12.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Booking

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Booking by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,997,949 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $16,055,006,000 after purchasing an additional 23,159 shares during the period. J. Stern & Co. LLP grew its position in Booking by 191,965.8% in the 4th quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 2,832,970 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $15,171,489,000 after purchasing an additional 2,831,495 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its position in Booking by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,435,116 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $7,685,520,000 after purchasing an additional 6,976 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in Booking by 15.4% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 966,121 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $5,173,899,000 after buying an additional 128,700 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia raised its stake in Booking by 1,497.3% during the 1st quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 870,520 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,665,168,000 after buying an additional 816,022 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Key Booking News

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wedbush initiated coverage on Booking Holdings with an “outperform” rating and a $211 price target, implying meaningful upside from current levels and suggesting Wall Street still sees room for the stock to recover. Wedbush initiates coverage on Booking
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group slightly lowered its FY2026 EPS estimate for Booking to $10.39 from $10.42, a small reduction but still close to the consensus estimate of $10.43, so the change was not a major earnings shock.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent articles noted that Booking fell more than the broader market, indicating traders were selling the stock alongside a weaker tape and possibly taking profits after its strong run. Why Booking Holdings fell more than broader market

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.