Summary
Booking Holdings Inc. (formerly The Priceline Group Inc.) reported strong financial results for the second quarter and first half of 2017, demonstrating robust growth across its key segments. The company saw a significant increase in total revenues, driven primarily by a 25.9% year-over-year rise in agency revenues, largely attributed to the strong performance of Booking.com's accommodation reservation services. Gross bookings also experienced a healthy increase of 16.4% for the quarter and 20.2% for the first half, with accommodation room nights booked up 21.0% and 24.1% respectively. This growth was primarily fueled by international operations, particularly Booking.com, which continues to expand its property listings. The company also highlighted positive momentum in its KAYAK and OpenTable businesses. Despite increased operating expenses, notably in performance advertising, the company managed to improve its gross profit margin. The company's balance sheet remains strong, with substantial cash and investments, and it continues to actively engage in share repurchases. Management expressed confidence in continued growth, driven by ongoing trends in online travel adoption and expansion in international markets, while also acknowledging potential headwinds from economic uncertainties and increased competition.
Financial Highlights
53 data points| Revenue | $3.02B |
| Cost of Revenue | $67.42M |
| Gross Profit | $2.96B |
| Operating Expenses | $2.06B |
| Operating Income | $893.26M |
| Interest Expense | $60.94M |
| Net Income | $720.00M |
| EPS (Basic) | $14.66 |
| EPS (Diluted) | $14.39 |
| Shares Outstanding (Basic) | 49.13M |
| Shares Outstanding (Diluted) | 50.06M |
Key Highlights
- 1Total revenues grew by 18.3% year-over-year to $3.02 billion for the second quarter of 2017.
- 2Gross bookings increased by 16.4% year-over-year to $20.8 billion for the second quarter of 2017, with accommodation room nights up 21.0%.
- 3Agency revenues saw a significant increase of 25.9% to $2.33 billion, primarily driven by Booking.com.
- 4Merchant revenues decreased slightly by 3.8% to $498.1 million, mainly due to lower Name Your Own Price® reservation services.
- 5Gross profit increased by 21.5% to $2.95 billion, with a gross margin of 97.6%, up from 95.1% in the prior year period.
- 6Performance advertising expenses increased by 24.6% year-over-year, reflecting continued investment in customer acquisition.
- 7The company repurchased $467.6 million of its common stock in the first half of 2017.