Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) Given New $5,600.00 Price Target at Jefferies Financial Group

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) had its target price decreased by Jefferies Financial Group from $5,800.00 to $5,600.00 in a research note published on Friday morning,MarketScreener reports. Jefferies Financial Group currently has a hold rating on the business services provider’s stock.

Several other research firms also recently issued reports on BKNG. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Booking from $5,523.00 to $5,954.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Argus upped their target price on Booking from $6,000.00 to $6,400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. 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 report on Tuesday, October 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Booking from $5,640.00 to $6,050.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Booking from $6,000.00 to $6,250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $6,209.94.

Booking Stock Down 1.0%

BKNG stock opened at $5,098.50 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $5,191.00 and a two-hundred day moving average of $5,339.91. Booking has a 12 month low of $4,096.23 and a 12 month high of $5,839.41. The company has a market capitalization of $164.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.23.

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

Booking Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 5th were given a dividend of $9.60 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 5th. This represents a $38.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Booking’s payout ratio is 24.96%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 953 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5,181.34, for a total value of $4,937,817.02. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 19,615 shares in the company, valued at approximately $101,631,984.10. This trade represents a 4.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 15 shares of Booking stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5,191.15, for a total value of $77,867.25. Following the sale, the director directly owned 687 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,566,320.05. This trade represents a 2.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 3,324 shares of company stock valued at $17,190,323. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Booking

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BKNG. Sunpointe LLC raised its stake in shares of Booking by 10.6% in the fourth quarter. Sunpointe LLC now owns 52 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $278,000 after purchasing an additional 5 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Booking by 77.1% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,107 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $5,927,000 after buying an additional 482 shares during the period. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC raised its stake in shares of Booking by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC now owns 179 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $959,000 after buying an additional 3 shares in the last quarter. Natural Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of Booking by 12.9% in the 4th quarter. Natural Investments LLC now owns 114 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $610,000 after buying an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LOM Asset Management Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Booking by 14.8% during the 4th quarter. LOM Asset Management Ltd now owns 1,139 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $6,100,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

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.