Booking Holdings Tops Q3 EPS by 4%, Reports $9.01B Revenue and 19.37% Margin
Booking delivered third-quarter EPS of $99.50 vs. $95.56 consensus and revenue of $9.01B vs. $8.71B (up 12.7% YoY), achieving a 19.37% net margin. CEO Glenn Fogel sold 625 shares at $5,141.53 for $3.21M, reducing his stake by 2.65%.
1. Institutional Investment Uptick
In the third quarter, Benjamin Edwards Inc. expanded its stake in Booking Holdings Inc. by 463.6%, acquiring an additional 561 shares to reach a total holding of 682 shares valued at approximately $3.683 million. Other institutional investors made smaller but notable moves: Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC increased its position by 150% to 5 shares worth $27,000; Atwood & Palmer Inc. initiated a $29,000 position; Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake by 400% to 5 shares valued at $29,000; Davis Capital Management opened a $32,000 holding; and O’Brien Wealth Partners LLC purchased shares worth $35,000. Collectively, institutions now own 92.42% of the company’s outstanding shares.
2. Insider Transactions Surge
Corporate insiders have been active sellers over the past quarter. CEO Glenn D. Fogel disposed of 625 shares at an average price of $5,141.53, generating proceeds of $3,213,456.25 and reducing his position by 2.65% to 22,982 shares. President Paulo Pisano sold 200 shares at $5,000 each, realizing $1,000,000 and cutting his stake by 11.67% to 1,514 shares. Overall, insiders offloaded 3,324 shares valued at $17,193,557 in the last 90 days, leaving them with 0.16% of total equity.
3. Third-Quarter Earnings Beat Estimates
Booking Holdings reported third-quarter earnings per share of $99.50, surpassing the consensus forecast of $95.56 by $3.94. Revenue of $9.01 billion topped analyst expectations of $8.71 billion, marking a 12.7% year-over-year increase. The company achieved a net margin of 19.37% despite a negative return on equity of 134.86%. Prior-year Q3 EPS was $83.39. Analysts now project full-year EPS of 209.92, reflecting confidence in sustained profitability.
4. Dividend Policy and Analyst Consensus
The board declared a quarterly dividend of $9.60 per share, paid on December 31 to stockholders of record as of December 5, translating to an annualized payout of $38.40 and a yield of 0.7% with a 24.96% payout ratio. Analyst sentiment remains bullish: one firm rates the stock as a Strong Buy, 27 assign Buy and eight recommend Hold, resulting in a consensus Moderate Buy rating and an average price target of $6,179.42.