Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) Insider Paulo Pisano Sells 3,000 Shares

Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) insider Paulo Pisano sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.48, for a total transaction of $610,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 73,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,935,432. This represents a 3.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Booking Stock Performance

NASDAQ BKNG opened at $195.69 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $193.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $177.91. Booking Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $150.14 and a twelve month high of $226.10. The stock has a market cap of $147.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.66, a PEG ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.07.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last issued its earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.43 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $7.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.19 billion. Booking had a negative return on equity of 102.96% and a net margin of 25.53%.Booking’s revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $55.40 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th will be paid a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 11th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.58%.

Booking News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Rosenblatt initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $245 price target, implying approximately 25% upside from the referenced share price. The firm views Booking as the best-positioned online travel agency despite industry challenges, providing a potentially meaningful catalyst for the shares. Rosenblatt sees Booking as the best-positioned online travel agency
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks characterized Booking as a strong momentum stock based on its style-score framework, reinforcing the case that recent price and fundamental trends could attract momentum-oriented investors. Why Booking is a strong momentum stock
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank brokers raised their earnings estimates for Booking, suggesting improving expectations for the company’s future profitability. Higher forecasts can support valuation, although the article provides no details on the size or rationale of the revisions. Erste Group Bank lifts Booking earnings estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Priceline CEO Brigit Zimmerman discussed travel trends ahead of the Labor Day weekend. The interview may offer insight into demand and booking patterns, but the available report does not specify whether the commentary was favorable or unfavorable for Booking. Priceline CEO discusses travel trends
• Negative Sentiment: Booking has lagged the broader market this year, which could weigh on investor sentiment and highlights concerns about online-travel-sector growth or valuation. Separately, director Paulo Pisano sold 3,000 shares worth about $610,440 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan; the planned nature of the transaction reduces its signaling value, but it remains a modest negative headline.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on BKNG shares. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of Booking in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Piper Sandler reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $215.00 price target (up from $195.00) on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Wedbush raised their price target on shares of Booking from $211.00 to $247.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Booking from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 26th. One research 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 has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $236.70.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Booking

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Osbon Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Booking in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Booking in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Strive Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Booking during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Swiss RE Ltd. bought a new position in Booking during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in Booking in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 92.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Booking Company Profile

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.