BKNG MOVES UP OVER 130 POINTS AT ITS HIGH OF THE DAY AFTER THE ALERT Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs and include firms, like https://www.tradepulse.net, which are responsible for parts of the data within this article. After Market Close UPDATE:The price at the time of the Power Inflow was $4559.51. The returns on the High price ($4693.97) and Close price ($4685.75) after the Power Inflow are respectively 2.9% and 2.7%. The result underlines the importance of a trading plan that includes ...

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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, March 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OpenTable, a global leader in restaurant technology, and FreedomPay, a global leader in Next Level Commerce™, today announced a partnership to elevate the payment experience for hotel restaurants and groups. The partnership unlocks restaurants' abilities to require credit card holds, charge no-show fees, take deposits, and offer prepaid experiences utilizing FreedomPay’s network of 1,000+ payment integrators, innovators, and consultants. Restaur ...

For Immediate ReleasesChicago, IL – March 24, 2025 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include Philip Morris International Inc. (PM) , Booking Holdings Inc. (BKNG) , Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (BUD) , Elite Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (ELTP) and National Research Corp. (NRC) .Here are highlights from Monday’s Analyst Blo ...

Market Sentiment - The markets are currently anxious about the potential for a deeper recession in the U.S. economy, which could have global repercussions [1] Valuation Trends - Valuation multiples have significantly decreased amid rising fears in the market [1] Industry Insights - Gary Alexander has extensive experience in covering technology companies and has worked in Silicon Valley, providing insights into current industry trends [1]

Group 1 - The company aims to invest in firms with strong qualitative attributes, purchasing them at attractive prices based on fundamentals, and holding them indefinitely [1] - The investment strategy focuses on maintaining a concentrated portfolio to avoid underperforming assets while maximizing exposure to high-potential winners [1] - The company plans to publish articles on selected companies approximately three times a week, including extensive quarterly follow-ups and ongoing updates [1] Group 2 - The company may rate high-quality firms as 'Hold' if their growth opportunities do not meet the required threshold or if the associated downside risks are deemed too high [1]

Core Insights - Booking Holdings (BKNG) shares have increased by 25.4% over the past 12 months, significantly outperforming the Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector, which saw a 5.8% increase [1] - The company has shown strong growth in room nights and bookings, benefiting from a favorable travel demand environment [2][4] - BKNG's AI integration across its platforms is enhancing customer experience and operational efficiency [6][7] Financial Performance - In the fourth quarter, room nights grew by 13% year over year, surpassing expectations, with Europe showing particularly strong performance [3] - Gross bookings rose by 17% year over year in the same quarter, supported by increased flight bookings and higher Average Daily Rates [4] - Airline ticket bookings surged by 52% year over year in Q4 2024, aided by strong offerings from Booking.com, Agoda, and Priceline [5] Future Outlook - For Q1 2025, room night growth is projected to be between 5% and 7%, with gross bookings growth expected in the same range [8] - Revenue growth for the first quarter is anticipated to be between 2% and 4%, with the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues at $4.59 billion, indicating a 4% year-over-year increase [8] Challenges - Despite strong performance, BKNG faces a downward trend in earnings estimates, with a 14.18% decrease in the consensus estimate for Q1 2025 earnings per share [10] - Foreign exchange rate changes negatively impacted gross bookings growth by approximately 1 percentage point in Q4 2024 [11] - The company is experiencing intense competition from various players in the online travel booking industry, including Expedia, Tripadvisor, and Google [12]

Group 1 - Over half of Americans (55%) are considering booking a "sleepcation" in 2025, with 85% reporting feeling sleep-deprived in the past year [1][2] - KAYAK has launched a guide to the best sleepcation destinations, focusing on factors like air quality, noise pollution, and proximity to nature [2][3] - The trend reflects a shift in travel priorities, with rest and relaxation becoming central to vacation planning [2][3] Group 2 - The top global sleepcation destinations include Split, Croatia; Canmore, Canada; and Andorra la Vella, Andorra [6] - In the U.S., popular sleepcation spots are Leavenworth, Washington; Mammoth Lakes, California; and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee [6] - KAYAK's new "Sleepcation" filter allows travelers to find the most sleep-friendly destinations at the lowest prices [2][3] Group 3 - The survey conducted by PureSpectrum involved 1,121 U.S. consumers who traveled within the last two years, with data collected from January 28-30, 2025 [4] - KAYAK's methodology for ranking destinations included factors such as air quality, noise pollution, and safety, excluding cities with populations over 1.5 million [7]

Institutional Selling Trends - Institutional buyers are highly aware of market conditions, employing numerous analysts and portfolio managers to monitor global markets continuously [1] - A shift in institutional flows can significantly impact retail portfolios, indicating when to increase or decrease market exposure [2] - Recent volatility in the S&P 500 has led institutions to sell off cyclical and consumer discretionary stocks, suggesting worse economic conditions than anticipated [2][4] Impact on Consumer Discretionary Sector - The Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLY) and individual stocks like Progressive Co. and Booking Holdings have been affected by institutional selling [3][4] - In February 2025, retail sales data indicated a significant pullback in consumer spending, prompting institutions to act before potential losses [5][6] - Up to $3.5 billion was withdrawn from the consumer discretionary ETF, with Northern Trust being a major seller [6] Forecasts and Earnings Projections - The 12-month stock price forecast for the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund is $198.33, based on 1,031 analyst ratings [4] - Progressive's stock forecast indicates a slight downside of -0.77%, with a projected EPS decline from $4.08 to $2.74 for Q3 2025 due to reduced consumer spending on cars and homes [8][12] - Booking Holdings is projected to experience a nearly 50% decline in EPS for Q1 2025, with significant institutional selling amounting to $210 billion [13][14] Market Sentiment and Analyst Ratings - The short interest in Booking stock has increased by 6.5%, reflecting bearish sentiment regarding future earnings [13] - Despite a Moderate Buy rating for Booking, top analysts suggest alternative stocks may offer better investment opportunities [15]

Group 1: Campaign Overview - The 2024 survey by Priceline reveals that over half of Millennial and Gen Z consumers dream about vacation plans weekly, but face barriers like price and complexity [1] - Priceline's new ad campaign, featuring Kaley Cuoco, aims to encourage travelers to transition from dreaming to booking their trips [2][3] - The campaign emphasizes that travel dreams are more accessible than ever, breaking down barriers such as cost and hesitation [4] Group 2: Promotions and Offers - The campaign includes 'Buzzer Beater' deals, offering significant savings for fans during the college basketball season, available from March 25 to April 6 [5] - Priceline will upgrade customers with .edu email addresses to VIP Gold status for the remainder of 2025, unlocking exclusive travel discounts [6] - Specific discounts include 10% to 15% off select hotels in various tournament host cities, with savings of up to $250 for championship hotels [8] Group 3: Interactive Engagement - Priceline and DraftKings are collaborating on the "Dream It, Book It Bracket," a free-to-play bracket challenge during the Men's College Basketball Tournament, with a chance to win a $50,000 cash prize [7] - The campaign will feature game-day itineraries for basketball fans, providing local recommendations to enhance their travel experience [10] Group 4: Marketing Strategy - The campaign will be promoted across various platforms, including broadcast, digital, and social media, with influencer campaigns and audio ads [12] - Priceline's extensive experience in online travel, leveraging proprietary deals technology, allows it to offer deep discounts and a wide range of travel options [13]