Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) Director Robert Mylod, Jr. Sells 1,000 Shares of Stock

Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) Director Robert Mylod, Jr. sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $200,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 14,000 shares in the company, valued at $2,800,000. This trade represents a 6.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Booking Trading Up 2.0%

NASDAQ:BKNG opened at $199.60 on Thursday. Booking Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $150.14 and a twelve month high of $226.10. The company has a market cap of $149.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.07. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $193.71 and a 200-day simple moving average of $178.12.

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

Booking Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be paid a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 11th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.58%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on BKNG shares. Robert W. Baird set a $230.00 price target on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. B. Riley Financial reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $274.00 price objective (up from $264.00) on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and set a $270.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a report on Monday, August 24th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $236.00 target price (up from $225.00) on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on Booking from $266.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $236.70.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Booking

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of BKNG. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Booking by 34.9% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 251 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,249,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Booking in the fourth quarter valued at about $209,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in Booking by 25.0% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 165 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $955,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its holdings in Booking by 50.0% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 87 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $504,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Osterweis Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Booking during the second quarter valued at about $179,000. Institutional investors own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Booking News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Rosenblatt initiated coverage with a Buy/Strong Buy rating and a $245 price target, implying roughly 23% upside from the referenced share price. The firm considers Booking one of the best-positioned online travel agencies despite industry challenges. Rosenblatt sees Booking as the best-positioned online travel agency
• Positive Sentiment: Recent operating results support the bullish analyst view. Booking’s latest reported quarter exceeded consensus estimates for both earnings and revenue, with revenue increasing 8.1% year over year. The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.42 per share.
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum-focused coverage was favorable. Zacks identified Booking as a strong momentum stock, noting its recent performance relative to the broader market. This may encourage continued interest from momentum-oriented investors. Why Booking is a strong momentum stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Priceline CEO Brigit Zimmerman discussed travel trends ahead of the Labor Day weekend. The commentary could provide insight into travel demand, but the available report does not indicate whether the trends were specifically positive or negative for Booking. Priceline CEO discusses travel trends
• Negative Sentiment: Insiders reported stock sales. Director Robert J. Mylod Jr. sold 1,000 shares for approximately $200,000, while insider Paulo Pisano sold 3,000 shares for about $610,440. Both transactions were executed under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, reducing their significance as signals of deteriorating business prospects. Booking insider stock sales

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.