Brokerages Set Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) Target Price at $6,149.23

Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty-five brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twenty-six have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $6,149.2333.

Several research firms have issued reports on BKNG. Benchmark lifted their price target on shares of Booking from $6,200.00 to $6,400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Mizuho set a $6,000.00 target price on Booking in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Booking from $6,723.00 to $6,790.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Seaport Global Securities boosted their price target on Booking from $6,030.00 to $6,260.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $6,325.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th.

Booking Stock Performance

Shares of Booking stock opened at $5,394.36 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $173.86 billion, a PE ratio of 35.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $5,077.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $5,375.28. Booking has a one year low of $4,096.23 and a one year high of $5,839.41.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The business services provider reported $99.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $95.56 by $3.94. The firm had revenue of $9.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.71 billion. Booking had a net margin of 19.37% and a negative return on equity of 134.86%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $83.39 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Booking will post 209.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 5th will be issued a $9.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 5th. This represents a $38.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Booking’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.96%.

Insider Activity at Booking

In related news, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 15 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5,362.00, for a total value of $80,430.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 702 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,764,124. This represents a 2.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 571 shares of Booking stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5,414.53, for a total value of $3,091,696.63. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 21,010 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $113,759,275.30. This represents a 2.65% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 3,324 shares of company stock valued at $17,193,557 over the last three months. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Booking

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BKNG. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Booking in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Booking by 150.0% in the third quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 5 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 3 shares during the last quarter. Guerra Advisors Inc acquired a new stake in Booking during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Strive Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Booking during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Booking in the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. 92.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.