Priceline.com Inc.

Company Description

Priceline.com is an online travel company that operates primarily in the United States, Europe and Asia. The company was founded in 1997 and has a market cap of $4.18 billion.

First-Quarter Results

Priceline continues to perform well in a weak market. The company's first-quarter results, reported on May 11, were ahead of expectations. Sales were up 15% from last year to $462.1 million. Earnings came in at 86 cents per share, easily trumping the consensus of 73 cents.

Consistent Results

Priceline has produced consistent results over the last 9 months, having surprised and beat in each quarter by an average of 18%.

Priceline reported hotel room bookings rose 36% from a year ago, plane ticket sales were up 28% and rental care days were up 15%.

Priceline did not provide guidance during its report but analyst were quick to upgrade their earnings forecast after the good quarter. The current-year is up 32 cents to $5.85 per share. The next-year is up 48 cents to $6.64, a 14% earnings growth projection.

The Chart

Shares of PCLN have been on an impressive 6-month rally since bottoming out just above $45 in late October. More recently, this stock topped off above $113 before pulling back a bit. Take a look below.