Brokerages Set Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) Price Target at $227.11

Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the thirty-seven brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twenty-eight have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $227.2565.

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on BKNG shares. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of Booking from $226.00 to $223.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Booking from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $214.00 price target on Booking and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Barclays set a $210.00 price objective on Booking and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, HSBC cut their price objective on Booking from $309.84 to $298.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th.

Booking Stock Performance

BKNG stock opened at $178.39 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $168.72 and a 200-day simple moving average of $180.00. The company has a market capitalization of $138.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.46, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.07. 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 results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.06. Booking had a net margin of 22.23% and a negative return on equity of 117.14%. The firm had revenue of $5.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.52 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.99 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 16.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Booking will post 10.44 EPS for the current year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th were given a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 5th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Booking’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.11%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 1,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.00, for a total transaction of $216,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 16,050 shares in the company, valued at $3,081,600. This trade represents a 6.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP Peter J. Millones sold 62,500 shares of Booking stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.67, for a total transaction of $10,229,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 425,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $69,572,025.25. This represents a 12.82% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 80,351 shares of company stock worth $13,545,706. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new stake in Booking during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Daytona Street Capital LLC acquired a new position in Booking in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Legacy Bridge LLC acquired a new position in Booking in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Camelot Portfolios LLC bought a new position in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Osbon Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.