Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) PT Raised to $5,050.00

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) had its price objective increased by UBS Group from $4,350.00 to $5,050.00 in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. UBS Group currently has a buy rating on the business services provider’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on BKNG. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Booking from $3,900.00 to $4,500.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Tigress Financial upped their price objective on Booking from $4,285.00 to $4,580.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. Oppenheimer cut their target price on Booking from $4,600.00 to $4,200.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on Booking from $4,500.00 to $4,200.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, JMP Securities upped their price target on Booking from $3,950.00 to $5,000.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $4,256.89.

Booking Stock Up 0.2 %

Booking stock opened at $4,347.82 on Wednesday. Booking has a twelve month low of $2,733.04 and a twelve month high of $4,395.00. The company has a market capitalization of $145.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.44, a PEG ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.40. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $4,043.91 and its 200 day moving average is $3,842.18.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The business services provider reported $41.90 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $39.22 by $2.68. The firm had revenue of $5.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.77 billion. Booking had a negative return on equity of 200.87% and a net margin of 22.46%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $37.62 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Booking will post 177.17 EPS for the current year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 6th were paid a dividend of $8.75 per share. This represents a $35.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 6th. Booking’s payout ratio is 24.50%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Paulo Pisano sold 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,887.61, for a total transaction of $388,761.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,787 shares in the company, valued at $14,722,379.07. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Booking

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BKNG. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Booking in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its stake in Booking by 133.3% in the 2nd quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 7 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 4 shares during the period. POM Investment Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in Booking during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Kings Path Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Booking during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, West Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Booking during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

About Booking

Booking Holdings Inc, formerly The Priceline Group Inc, is a provider of travel and restaurant online reservation and related services. The Company, through its online travel companies (OTCs), connects consumers wishing to make travel reservations with providers of travel services across the world. It offers consumers an array of accommodation reservations (including hotels, bed and breakfasts, hostels, apartments, vacation rentals and other properties) through its Booking.com, priceline.com and agoda.com brands.