Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on the stock. B. Riley lowered their price target on shares of Booking from $4,900.00 to $4,650.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Booking from $3,976.00 to $4,173.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on shares of Booking from $4,275.00 to $4,105.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Booking from $4,500.00 to $4,200.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $3,900.00 target price on shares of Booking in a report on Monday, August 5th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Booking currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $4,130.18.

Booking Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ BKNG traded up $29.50 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $4,337.27. 123,889 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 248,224. The company has a market capitalization of $147.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.40. Booking has a 52-week low of $2,733.04 and a 52-week high of $4,371.17. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $3,942.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $3,811.55.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $5.86 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.77 billion. Booking had a net margin of 22.46% and a negative return on equity of 200.87%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $37.62 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Booking will post 176.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Booking

In related news, insider Paulo Pisano sold 100 shares of Booking stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,887.61, for a total value of $388,761.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,787 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,722,379.07. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Booking

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Global Assets Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Booking in the first quarter worth $401,371,000. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board increased its stake in Booking by 20.5% during the first quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 2,348 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $8,518,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Booking during the first quarter valued at $537,000. BDF Gestion bought a new stake in Booking during the second quarter valued at $6,897,000. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise increased its stake in Booking by 45.7% during the first quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 1,556 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $5,645,000 after purchasing an additional 488 shares during the last quarter. 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.

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