Summary
Booking Holdings Inc., operating as The Priceline Group, reported strong performance for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014. The company experienced significant growth, with gross bookings increasing by 28.4% year-over-year, largely driven by its international operations, particularly Booking.com. The acquisition of OpenTable in July 2014 expanded the company's service offerings into the restaurant reservation sector, complementing its existing travel businesses. Despite a strengthening US Dollar impacting reported international results, the company demonstrated robust underlying growth across accommodation, rental cars, and airline tickets. Key financial highlights include a substantial increase in gross profit by 32.7%, driven by strong agency revenue growth. The company continued to invest heavily in marketing and brand awareness, with online advertising expenses rising significantly. Management expressed confidence in its growth strategy, focusing on providing excellent consumer experiences, expanding its service offerings, and investing in profitable growth. Key risks identified include intense competition from established and emerging players, reliance on online advertising channels, and potential impacts from currency fluctuations and regulatory changes.
Financial Highlights
53 data points| Revenue | $8.44B |
| Cost of Revenue | $857.84M |
| Gross Profit | $7.58B |
| Operating Expenses | $4.51B |
| Operating Income | $3.07B |
| Interest Expense | $88.35M |
| Net Income | $2.42B |
| EPS (Basic) | $46.30 |
| EPS (Diluted) | $45.67 |
| Shares Outstanding (Basic) | 52.30M |
| Shares Outstanding (Diluted) | 53.02M |
Key Highlights
- 1Gross bookings increased by 28.4% to $50.3 billion, with international operations contributing 87% of gross bookings.
- 2Gross profit grew by 32.7% to $7.6 billion, reflecting strong performance in agency revenues.
- 3The company successfully acquired OpenTable in July 2014, diversifying its business into online restaurant reservations.
- 4Online advertising expenses increased by 31.2% to $2.36 billion, indicating continued investment in customer acquisition and brand building.
- 5Despite a strengthening US Dollar negatively impacting reported international results, local currency growth remained robust.
- 6The company reported net income applicable to common stockholders of $2.42 billion, a significant increase from the prior year.
- 7The company repurchased $750.4 million of its common stock during the year, demonstrating a commitment to returning capital to shareholders.