Booking Holdings shares down on weak Q3 outlook
Investing.com -- Shares of Booking Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:BKNG) were down 6.1% in pre-open trading on Friday as its third quarter guidance fell short of expectations, especially for bookings and revenue.
For the third quarter, Booking Holdings guidance fell short of market expectations across several key metrics. The company expects bookings to grow 2-4% year-over-year, significantly below the Street's estimate of 7%.
Revenue is projected to increase 2-4% year-over-year, compared to the Street's expectation of 6.6%. Adjusted EBITDA is forecasted between $3.25 billion and $3.35 billion, whereas the Street anticipated $3.57 billion.
Additionally, room nights are expected to rise 3-5% year-over-year, falling short of the Street's estimate of 7%.
Management attributed these lower projections to several factors, including a decline in flight prices, a tightening booking window compared to Q3 2023, and some softness in the European market.
Analysts at Evercore ISI maintains its Outperform rating on Booking Holdings Inc. (BKNG) despite mixed and lower-than-expected Q2 EPS results.
However, Evercore ISI has lowered its price target to $4,200 from $4,500. Booking Holdings is seen as a high-quality growth asset with sustainable EPS growth of 15%, substantial free cash flow generation, and a track record of excellent execution.
Despite a disappointing outlook and cautious commentary from other travel players indicating a potential softening in demand, Jefferies maintains a "Buy" rating on the company due to its history of share gains, expense control, and repurchases, which are expected to drive attractive EPS growth over time.
The online travel agency posted adjusted earnings per share of $41.90, beating the analyst estimate of $38.55 by $3.35.
Revenue for the quarter came in at $5.9 billion, exceeding the consensus estimate of $5.77 billion and marking a 7% increase YoY.
Room nights booked increased 7% from the prior-year quarter, while gross travel bookings rose 4% to $41.4 billion. The company reported net income of $1.5 billion, an 18% increase from the same period last year.
CEO Glenn Fogel commented, "In the second quarter, our business continued to perform well with room nights, revenue, and operating income exceeding our prior expectations."
The company's Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $8.75 per share, payable on September 30, 2024, to stockholders of record as of September 6, 2024.
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