Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) Stock Has Consensus Price Target of $236.98

Shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty-seven analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $236.98.

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $240.00 price target (up from $215.00) on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Susquehanna restated a “positive” rating and set a $240.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $215.00 target price (up from $195.00) on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on Booking from $175.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $242.00 price target on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th.

Booking Stock Up 4.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:BKNG opened at $163.95 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $191.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $178.97. Booking has a 12-month low of $150.14 and a 12-month high of $225.00. The company has a market cap of $123.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 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. Booking had a negative return on equity of 102.96% and a net margin of 25.53%.The business had revenue of $7.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $55.40 earnings per share. Booking’s revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Booking will post 10.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th will be given a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 11th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Booking’s payout ratio is presently 18.58%.

Key Stories Impacting Booking

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BTIG Research reaffirmed its Buy rating and set a $250 price target, implying substantial upside from recent levels. The firm also said investor concerns that AI agents could disrupt Booking’s business are overstated. BTIG thinks AI agent fears with Booking Holdings are overdone
• Positive Sentiment: Emerald Wealth Partners added Booking Holdings to its portfolio, citing AI-related growth opportunities. The purchase provides an institutional endorsement as the market reassesses Booking’s ability to benefit from AI rather than only face disruption from it. Emerald Wealth Partners Added Booking Holdings as AI Creates New Growth Opportunities
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlighted BKNG as a potentially attractive long-term growth stock, while another recent analyst overview included Booking among consumer-cyclical companies under consideration. These reports may support sentiment, although they provide limited new company-specific financial information. Why Booking Holdings is a Top Growth Stock for the Long-Term
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports on hotel stocks and analyst commentary on Booking offer broader industry context but do not identify a major new catalyst for BKNG. Best Hotel Stocks To Research
• Negative Sentiment: Expedia’s partnership with Meta’s Muse AI platform intensified fears that AI-powered travel tools could reduce traffic and pricing power for online travel agencies, contributing to a recent selloff in BKNG. Booking Holdings Stock Drops as Expedia Partners With Meta’s Muse AI Platform
• Negative Sentiment: Booking’s expected third-quarter revenue growth of only 4% to 6% raises concern that its post-pandemic slowdown may be structural rather than temporary. Despite strong operating margins, BKNG has significantly underperformed the broader market this year. Is Booking’s Slowdown a Pause or Its New Pace?

Insider Transactions at Booking

In other Booking news, Director Vanessa Wittman sold 1,125 shares of Booking stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.00, for a total transaction of $216,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 16,508 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,169,536. This trade represents a 6.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Paulo Pisano sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $203.48, for a total transaction of $610,440.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 73,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,935,432. This represents a 3.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 83,050 shares of company stock worth $17,182,274. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Booking

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BKNG. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in Booking by 1,615.6% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 13,931 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,483,000 after buying an additional 13,119 shares in the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG acquired a new position in shares of Booking during the 2nd quarter valued at about $11,687,000. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC increased its holdings in shares of Booking by 2,860.8% during the 2nd quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 12,554 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,238,000 after acquiring an additional 12,130 shares during the last quarter. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd bought a new position in shares of Booking in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $361,463,000. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Booking by 1,663.9% in the 2nd quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 28,698 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $5,115,000 after acquiring an additional 27,071 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

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.