Booking.com is conducting a companywide review that could lead to job cuts.The online travel agency’s parent said in a Friday (Nov. 8) regulatory filing that this review would include “an expected workforce reduction,” as well as cost reductions like looking for real estate savings and optimizing procurement.“We believe these efforts will improve operating expense efficiency, increase organizational agility, free up resources that can be reinvested into further improving our offering to both travelers and p ...

The recommendations of Wall Street analysts are often relied on by investors when deciding whether to buy, sell, or hold a stock. Media reports about these brokerage-firm-employed (or sell-side) analysts changing their ratings often affect a stock's price. Do they really matter, though?Before we discuss the reliability of brokerage recommendations and how to use them to your advantage, let's see what these Wall Street heavyweights think about Booking Holdings (BKNG) .Booking Holdings currently has an averag ...

Have you been paying attention to shares of Booking Holdings (BKNG) ? Shares have been on the move with the stock up 16.1% over the past month. The stock hit a new 52-week high of $4916.01 in the previous session. Booking Holdings has gained 38.6% since the start of the year compared to the 23.8% move for the Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector and the 32.2% return for the Zacks Internet - Commerce industry.What's Driving the Outperformance?The stock has an impressive record of positive earnings surprises, as it ...

Booking Holdings (BKNG) appears an attractive pick, as it has been recently upgraded to a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). An upward trend in earnings estimates -- one of the most powerful forces impacting stock prices -- has triggered this rating change.The Zacks rating relies solely on a company's changing earnings picture. It tracks EPS estimates for the current and following years from the sell-side analysts covering the stock through a consensus measure -- the Zacks Consensus Estimate.Individual investors o ...

Here are three stocks with buy ranks and strong growth characteristics for investors to consider today, November 4th:Pilgrim's Pride Corporation (PPC) : This producer of fresh and frozen meat products carries a Zacks Rank #1, and has witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 8.8% over the last 60 days.Pilgrim's Pride has a PEG ratio of 0.20 compared with 0.46 for the industry. The company possesses a Growth Score  of A.Booking Holdings Inc. (BKNG) : This online restaura ...

Booking Holdings (BKNG) reported third-quarter 2024 earnings of $83.89 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 7.63%. The figure surged 16% year over year.BKNG’s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in all the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 16.75%.Find the latest EPS estimates and surprises on Zacks Earnings Calendar.Revenues of $7.994 billion beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 4.76% and increased 8.9% year over year on a reported basis and 9% on a constant currency (c ...

Booking Holdings stock is a free-cash-flow monster.Travel website extraordinaire Booking Holdings (BKNG 5.29%) stock jumped 4.8% through 11:50 a.m. ET Thursday after thumping analyst forecasts for both sales and earnings last night.Expected to earn $77.47 per share on $7.6 billion in sales for Q3 2024, Booking Holdings reported instead an $83.89-per-share profit (adjusted for one-time items) on just under $8 billion in sales. Booking Holdings Q3 sales and earningsNot all the news was great. Total sales at B ...

Booking Holdings is seeing early results from growth initiatives while also recording better-than-expected gains in the third quarter.The company’s efforts to advance its “connected trip” vision, to continue developing its artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities and to grow alternative accommodations all saw progress during the quarter, Booking Holdings CEO Glenn Fogel said Wednesday (Oct. 30) during a quarterly earnings call.Booking Holdings — which owns the Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, Kayak and OpenT ...

Financial Data and Key Metrics - Revenue for Q3 2024 was $8 billion, a 9% year-over-year increase, exceeding the high end of guidance by 5 percentage points [7][40] - Adjusted EBITDA grew 12% year-over-year to $3.7 billion, 9% above the high end of prior guidance [6][7][44] - Adjusted EPS increased 16% year-over-year to $83.89, supported by a 6% reduction in average share count [7][44] - Gross bookings grew 9% year-over-year, driven by 8% growth in room nights and 39% growth in airline tickets [7][38] - Marketing expenses increased 6% year-over-year, but as a percentage of gross bookings, it decreased by 15 basis points to 5.0% [41][42] Business Line Performance - Room nights grew 8% year-over-year to just under 300 million, with alternative accommodations growing 14% [7][11][34] - Airline tickets booked increased 39% year-over-year, accelerating from 28% growth in Q2 [17][37] - Rental car days booked grew 16% year-over-year, driven by strong growth at Booking.com [37] - Connected Trip transactions, which include bookings across multiple travel verticals, grew over 40% year-over-year and represented a high single-digit percentage of total transactions [15] Regional Performance - Europe saw high single-digit growth in room nights, driving the sequential increase in global room night growth [8][34] - Asia continued to perform well with low double-digit growth in room nights, representing 24% of global room nights [8][30][34] - The U.S. experienced low single-digit growth in room nights, outpacing the broader U.S. accommodation industry [8][34] Strategic Initiatives and Industry Competition - The company is focused on growing alternative accommodations, advancing its Connected Trip vision, developing AI capabilities, and expanding in Asia [10] - Alternative accommodation listings reached 7.9 million, up 10% year-over-year, contributing to 35% of Booking.com's global room nights [11][34] - AI initiatives, including the AI Trip Planner and Gen AI-powered tools, are being integrated across platforms to improve customer experience and operational efficiency [18][19][20][22][24][25][26] - The company aims to grow faster than the overall travel industry in Asia, which is expected to grow at a high single-digit rate over the next five years [29][30] Management Commentary on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management remains optimistic about the resilience of leisure travel demand and the long-term growth of the travel industry [9][31] - The company expects Q4 room night growth between 6% and 8%, with gross bookings growth between 7% and 9% [47][48] - Full-year 2024 revenue growth is expected to be just below 10%, with adjusted EBITDA growth between 13% and 14% [49][51] Other Important Information - The company returned $2 billion in capital through share repurchases and dividends in Q3, reducing its cash and investments balance to $16.3 billion [46] - Fixed expenses grew 7% year-over-year, below expectations due to lower IT and G&A expenses, with a focus on driving operating leverage [43][50] Q&A Session Summary Question: AI's impact on financials and Q4 booking factors [53] - AI is expected to improve customer experience, operational efficiency, and potentially drive more direct traffic, but it is too early to quantify financial impacts [55][56][57] - Q4 bookings are expected to remain robust, with easier comps due to the Middle East conflict last year and a less expanded booking window [59][60][61] Question: Asia's recovery and alternative accommodation mix [64] - Asia's growth is driven by market recovery and strong execution by Agoda, with no single country dominating the region [65][66][67] - The alternative accommodation mix is 35%, with potential for further growth as inventory expands, particularly in the U.S. [68][69][70] Question: Europe's performance and U.S. macro views [72] - Europe saw a reacceleration in growth starting in August, driven by improved demand and the expansion of the booking window [72][73] - The U.S. market remains stable, with the company growing faster than the broader accommodation industry [8][116] Question: Marketing ROI and full-year outlook [76] - Higher ROIs in Q3 were driven by continuous optimization of marketing spend across channels, with social media spend increasing [77][78] - Full-year marketing and merchandising as a percentage of gross bookings are expected to remain flat [78] Question: Fixed investments and long-term margin potential [80] - The company has slowed hiring and is leveraging AI and other efficiencies to drive operating leverage, while reinvesting in growth opportunities [82][83][84] - Long-term margin expansion is expected as fixed investments grow slower than revenue [96][97] Question: Incrementality of alternative accommodations [90] - The company believes its alternative accommodations business has brought in new customers who would not have booked through Booking.com otherwise, particularly in Europe [91][92] Question: Social media as a growth vector [99] - Social media marketing is showing improved ROI, with increased spend contributing to higher incremental ROIs, though it remains a small portion of total marketing spend [100][101][103] Question: U.S. brand awareness and property manager experience [105] - The company is working to simplify the experience for property managers and improve brand awareness in the U.S., with stable growth in room nights [106][107] Question: Gen AI's impact on bookings and Asia partnerships [110] - Gen AI is expected to enhance Booking.com's competitive position by offering personalized experiences, while partnerships in Asia remain a small part of the business [111][112][113] Question: Booking window impact and North America investments [114] - The booking window had a slight benefit on Q3 growth, but the impact was not quantified [115] - Investments in alternative accommodations, brand awareness, and product enhancements are driving growth in North America [116][117]

Booking Holdings (BKNG) reported $7.99 billion in revenue for the quarter ended September 2024, representing a year-over-year increase of 8.9%. EPS of $83.89 for the same period compares to $72.32 a year ago. The reported revenue represents a surprise of +4.76% over the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $7.63 billion. With the consensus EPS estimate being $77.94, the EPS surprise was +7.63%. While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to ...