Key Points
- CEO Glenn Fogel sold 16,726 shares on April 15 for about $3.10 million at an average price of $185.36 under a pre‑arranged Rule 10b5‑1 plan, trimming his stake by 5.31% to 298,174 shares.
- Booking reported a surprisingly strong quarter (EPS $48.80 vs. $1.92 estimate) and revenue of $6.35 billion, up 16% year‑over‑year, but the stock is trading around $184.56 — below its 200‑day moving average and down roughly 15% YTD.
- Analyst and market sentiment is mixed: consensus is a "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $234.47 after several firms changed ratings/targets, while institutional investors own about 92.4% of the shares.
Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG - Get Free Report) CEO Glenn Fogel sold 16,726 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.36, for a total transaction of $3,100,331.36. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 298,174 shares in the company, valued at $55,269,532.64. This trade represents a 5.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.
Booking Price Performance
Shares of NASDAQ:BKNG opened at $184.56 on Friday. The company's 50-day moving average price is $171.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $194.40. Booking Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $150.62 and a one year high of $233.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $146.14 billion, a PE ratio of 27.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.20.
Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The business services provider reported $48.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.92 by $46.88. The company 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%. Booking'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 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 209.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Booking Cuts Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th were issued a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 6th. Booking's dividend payout ratio is presently 25.26%.
Key Booking News
Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer said BKNG could “soar” when the Iran conflict ends — a bullish media endorsement that may lift retail interest and buy‑the‑dip flows. Jim Cramer on Booking Holdings
- Positive Sentiment: KAYAK reports rising European road-trip demand among UK travelers ahead of May bank holidays, supporting near‑term travel bookings for Booking’s brands. KAYAK road trips rise story
- Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary is debating whether the post‑selloff constitutes a buying opportunity — pieces outlining a ~15% YTD decline are prompting valuation checks but not consensus calls to buy. MarketBeat: Down 15%, Is It Time to Buy?
- Neutral Sentiment: Recent valuation/reassessment coverage highlights a short-term rebound (several days of gains) amid a longer trailing decline; these analyses may attract cautious value/long‑term buyers but don’t alter near‑term momentum. Yahoo: Reassessing BKNG valuation
- Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo reaffirmed a Hold on BKNG — a tepid analyst stance that can cap upside and reduce conviction among momentum investors. Wells Fargo Hold note
- Negative Sentiment: CEO Glenn Fogel sold ~16.7k shares in a pre‑arranged 10b5‑1 plan; while routine and disclosed, insider sales can spook some investors when combined with sector weakness. SEC Form 4 disclosure
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on BKNG. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Booking from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and dropped their target price for the company from $246.00 to $220.00 in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Robert W. Baird set a $234.00 price target on shares of Booking in a report on Thursday, February 19th. HSBC reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $309.84 price target on shares of Booking in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Booking from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $179.80 price target (down from $233.20) on shares of Booking in a report on Thursday, February 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Booking currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $234.47.
Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on BKNG
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. J. Stern & Co. LLP boosted its position in shares of Booking by 191,965.8% during 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 acquiring an additional 2,831,495 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Booking during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,271,041,000. HF Advisory Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Booking by 28,353.8% during the 4th quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC now owns 204,298 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,094,083,000 after acquiring an additional 203,580 shares in the last quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. boosted its position in shares of Booking by 862.0% during the 4th quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 218,080 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,167,890,000 after acquiring an additional 195,411 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in shares of 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 worth $5,173,899,000 after acquiring an additional 128,700 shares in the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Booking Company Profile
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Get Free Report)
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.
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