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

Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-nine research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twenty-one have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $3,723.41.

Several research firms have recently weighed in on BKNG. StockNews.com raised shares of Booking from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Edward Jones reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Booking in a report on Friday, February 16th. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Booking from $3,580.00 to $4,250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Booking from $3,548.00 to $3,435.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 23rd. Finally, Susquehanna upped their target price on shares of Booking from $3,600.00 to $4,100.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Monday, February 26th.

Booking Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of BKNG opened at $3,521.08 on Friday. Booking has a 1-year low of $2,456.93 and a 1-year high of $3,918.00. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $3,547.11 and its 200-day moving average price is $3,383.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $119.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.85, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.40.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 22nd. The business services provider reported $32.00 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $29.72 by $2.28. The business had revenue of $4.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.71 billion. Booking had a net margin of 20.08% and a negative return on equity of 751.49%. Booking’s quarterly revenue was up 18.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $24.74 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Booking will post 175.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th were paid a $8.75 dividend. This represents a $35.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Booking news, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,534.10, for a total transaction of $2,650,575.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 26,971 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $95,318,211.10. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 4,302 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,422.75, for a total value of $14,724,670.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 33,548 shares in the company, valued at approximately $114,826,417. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,534.10, for a total transaction of $2,650,575.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 26,971 shares in the company, valued at $95,318,211.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 5,461 shares of company stock valued at $18,815,825 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.15% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Booking

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BKNG. Activest Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Booking in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Naples Money Management LLC acquired a new stake in Booking in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Booking in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Booking in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Booking in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Booking Company Profile

Booking Holdings Inc, formerly The Priceline Group Inc, is a provider of travel and restaurant online reservation and related services. The Company, through its online travel companies (OTCs), connects consumers wishing to make travel reservations with providers of travel services across the world. It offers consumers an array of accommodation reservations (including hotels, bed and breakfasts, hostels, apartments, vacation rentals and other properties) through its Booking.com, priceline.com and agoda.com brands.