Key Points
- Booking VP Peter Millones sold 50,050 shares for approximately $10.39 million at an average price of $207.59 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan, reducing his holdings by 11.77% to 375,025 shares.
- Booking reported quarterly revenue of $7.35 billion and adjusted EPS of $2.54, exceeding analyst expectations; revenue increased 8.1% year over year.
- Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $235.72, while Booking declared a quarterly dividend of $0.42 per share, representing a 0.8% yield.
Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG - Get Free Report) Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 375 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $211.00, for a total transaction of $79,125.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 16,133 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,404,063. The trade was a 2.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.
Vanessa Ames Wittman also recently made the following trade(s):
- On Tuesday, July 28th, Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 1,125 shares of Booking stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.00, for a total value of $216,000.00.
Booking Stock Performance
Shares of BKNG stock opened at $208.20 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $185.74 and a 200-day moving average of $177.06. The stock has a market cap of $156.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.07. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 52-week low of $150.14 and a 52-week high of $231.80.
Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.43 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $7.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.19 billion. Booking had a net margin of 25.53% and a negative return on equity of 102.96%. The firm's revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $55.40 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.47 earnings per share for the current year.
Booking Announces Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 11th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Booking's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.58%.
Key Stories Impacting Booking
Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Booking’s KAYAK brand reported that international airfares for UK travelers during September and October average 26% below peak-season prices. More affordable “shoulder season” travel could support booking volumes and reinforce expectations for resilient demand across Booking’s lodging and travel platforms. KAYAK shoulder season travel research
- Positive Sentiment: Recent analyst commentary remains broadly constructive. Booking has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $235.72, while Argus raised its target to $245 and maintained a buy rating. The company also exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, with revenue rising 8.1% year over year. Booking analyst ratings and stock analysis
- Neutral Sentiment: Booking declared a quarterly dividend of $0.42 per share, equivalent to $1.68 annually and a yield of approximately 0.8%. The payout is modest but signals continued capital returns; it is unlikely to be a major driver for the stock given the company’s growth-oriented valuation. Booking dividend announcement
- Negative Sentiment: Vice President Peter Millones sold 50,050 shares for approximately $10.4 million, reducing his holdings by 11.77%. Director Vanessa Ames Wittman also sold 375 shares for about $79,000. Both transactions were conducted under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, which makes them a weaker bearish signal; Millones still retains roughly $77.9 million in BKNG stock. Booking insider share sales
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Booking
A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BKNG. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Booking during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $11,646,302,000. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new stake in Booking in the second quarter valued at about $1,691,186,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in Booking in the second quarter valued at about $1,370,455,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in Booking in the second quarter valued at about $992,026,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in Booking during the second quarter worth about $770,673,000. Institutional investors own 92.42% of the company's stock.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
BKNG has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Bank of America reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $234.00 target price on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Benchmark upped their price objective on shares of Booking from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $240.00 price objective (up from $215.00) on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Robert W. Baird set a $230.00 target price on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, B. Riley Financial reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $274.00 target price (up from $264.00) on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Booking currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $235.72.
Get Our Latest Report on Booking
Booking Company Profile
(
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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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