Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) Earns Buy Rating from BTIG Research

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG)‘s stock had its “buy” rating restated by stock analysts at BTIG Research in a report released on Thursday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $250.00 price target on the business services provider’s stock. BTIG Research’s price target points to a potential upside of 60.01% from the stock’s previous close.

BKNG has been the topic of several other reports. B. Riley Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $274.00 target price (up from $264.00) on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Argus increased their price target on Booking from $210.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $188.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, August 26th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Booking from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $242.00 target price on Booking in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $236.98.

Booking Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ BKNG traded up $0.34 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $156.24. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,799,927 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,242,826. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $192.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $179.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $117.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.07. Booking has a 1-year low of $150.14 and a 1-year high of $225.00.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Vanessa Wittman sold 375 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $211.00, for a total value of $79,125.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 16,133 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,404,063. The trade was a 2.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a 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. Also, CFO Ewout L. Steenbergen sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $211.03, for a total transaction of $4,220,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 59,794 shares in the company, valued at $12,618,327.82. The trade was a 25.06% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 83,050 shares of company stock worth $17,182,275. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Booking

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Bogart Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Booking by 3,475.0% during the second quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 143 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Booking by 3,550.0% in the second quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC now owns 146 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Osbon Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Booking in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. First Financial Corp IN raised its holdings in shares of Booking by 2,400.0% in the 2nd quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 150 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 144 shares during the period. Finally, Roble Belko & Company Inc lifted its stake in Booking by 2,400.0% during the 2nd quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 150 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Booking Company Profile

Booking Holdings Inc is a global provider of online travel and related services. The company connects consumers with accommodations, flights, rental cars, restaurants and travel experiences through a portfolio of digital brands and websites.

Its principal brands include Booking.com, which offers lodging, transportation and travel experiences; Priceline, which provides online booking services for hotels, flights, rental cars and vacation packages; Agoda, which focuses primarily on travel bookings in Asia and other international markets; KAYAK, a travel metasearch engine; OpenTable, a restaurant reservation and management platform; and Rentalcars.com, a global car rental service.

Booking Holdings serves customers, travel providers and restaurants across numerous countries and regions, with a particularly extensive international presence.