PCLN ==> The Arbor Day Winner

[mrmarket]

Since earnings will be released after close today, for full disclosure, I wanted everyone to know I just purchased Priceline - PCLN at 244.44. I will sell it in 4 to 6 weeks at 281.48.

My write up will be issued after the earnings release tonight.

[mrmarket]

[jiesen]

hooker?

so are you saying that the Priceline PR people are prostitutes?

[jiesen]

ok I'm in - PCLN is looking good at the moment.

what the heck, I feel lucky today... I'm in at 245. Now let's see what those PR whores have to say.

[billyjoe]

Since earnings will be released after close today, for full disclosure, I wanted everyone to know I just purchased Priceline - PCLN at 244.44. I will sell it in 4 to 6 weeks at 281.48.

My write up will be issued after the earnings release tonight.

Mr.Market,
A couple hours ago I was thinking the same thing. You wouldn't want to wait and be kicking yourself on this one.

-------------billy

[yosberk]

Not looking great in AH

If my AH quotes are correct we are down over 10% to 222.00

[skiracer]

If my AH quotes are correct we are down over 10% to 222.00

i like this pick and stock. the only thing i dont like is the price. you got to put up a qtr. mil. to own 1000 shares. so im looking at the options for a play tomorrow after the dust clears. i dont know what triggered the after hours selloff because the report in general was way over and above everyones expectations. their forward guidance was lower than expected but the report was excellent. i think it is just a case of selling into strength in the AH. but it was a big risk buying before earnings and this is the proof of that right now. waiting until after the earnings report or tomorrow might have provided a much cheaper entry with either the options or the stock.

[skiracer]

Mr.Market,
A couple hours ago I was thinking the same thing. You wouldn't want to wait and be kicking yourself on this one.

-------------billy

and that is precisely the problem billyjoe. you dont know whether the earnings report is going to be what was expected or not. and when they do meet expectations a high number of times they tank afterwards anyway for whatever reasons. this was a great report. beat all expectations and yet still dropped over 20 + pts. after a great report. so what did it get you for being in before the report. nothing on the positive side and it was a gamble to start with. the sad part is that the stock will eventually end up meeting mm's criteria even after todays AH selloff. tomorrow will provide a nicer entry, especially with the options.

[mrmarket]

and that is precisely the problem billyjoe. you dont know whether the earnings report is going to be what was expected or not. and when they do meet expectations a high number of times they tank afterwards anyway for whatever reasons. this was a great report. beat all expectations and yet still dropped over 20 + pts. after a great report. so what did it get you for being in before the report. nothing on the positive side and it was a gamble to start with. the sad part is that the stock will eventually end up meeting mm's criteria even after todays AH selloff. tomorrow will provide a nicer entry, especially with the options.

Ski...it's like being around a craps tables with all your best friends, drinking Johnny Walker Blue and smoking a Partegas as long as your arm. Then some idiot throws a 7 and kills your mojo. No problem...keep rolling them. This is a great company. Write up to follow:

[skiracer]

Ski...it's like being around a craps tables with all your best friends, drinking Johnny Walker Blue and smoking a Partegas as long as your arm. Then some idiot throws a 7 and kills your mojo. No problem...keep rolling them. This is a great company. Write up to follow:

its been on my watchlist for a while now and i was waiting for the earnings report to come out before i got in. i know the feeling of wanting to make sure you dont miss out on getting in before a great earnings report sends it higher than what you could have gotten in at before the report. but it seems these reports dont mean a thing anymore and that they drop as often after a great report as not. i am looking at the july 10 $250 and $260 calls tomorrow a.m. the $250's closed today at $23.30 up $10.10 and the $260's closed today at $18.70 up $8.30. but tomorrow morning they both should be alot cheaper. i think the stock and the options go up from here. i dont understand what could have prompted this AH selloff today other than profit taking into todays strength.

[mrmarket]

For those of you who think William Shatner maxed out when he played James T. Kirk on Star Trek, think again. How could you have possibly forgotten TJ Hooker?:



And I am sure by now you are crediting your good health to Promise Margarine:



But most importantly, because of Bill Shatner, we all save money on hotels and airfares.



That’s right. Never pay full price for a hotel. NEVER! Just go to Priceline and you can always get 20% off of a hotel room. Priceline is awesome. Not only is Priceline awesome, Priceline stock is even awesomer.

Today I bought PCLN at 244.44. I will sell it in 4 to 6 weeks at 281.48. Here’s why I like PCLN:

First of all, look at this chart. It is ridiculous. Why is it going up so much? It’s going up because this company makes tons of money. Oodles and oodles of noodles.



Even though the stock has gone through the roof, its PE is still only 24.63. That means its’ cheap. Tonight the company reported earnings of $53.9 million, or $1.06 per share, on $584.4 million in revenue for the first three months of the year. That compares with earnings of $25 million, or 53 cents per share, on $462.1 million in revenue in the first quarter of last year. Excluding special items, Priceline posted earnings of $1.70 per share for the latest quarter. ANAL-ysts had expected the company to report a profit of $1.66 per share excluding items on $597.2 million in revenue

Now PCLN got crushed in after hours trading. Why? Because of the stupid volcano, that’s why. The volcano grounded lots of flights. If people don’t travel, they don’t use Priceline. Wow…how brilliant Sherlock. Priceline management said they weren’t going to hit their previous 2Q numbers. So of course everyone sold off after hours and $$$MR. MARKET$$$ gets stuck holding the bag. Boo hoo for $$$MR. MARKET$$$??? Of course not…unless this volcano keeps blowing its top for the end of time..which it won’t. What an amazing buying opportunity for all! Remember the movie 300? Someone has to take the arrows..might as well be me.

With the U.S. economy hurting, consumers are flocking to the discount Web site in droves, helping Priceline run rings around its rivals. Also,the shift in Europe away from booking travel with traditional agents and using online still has quite a ways to go, and Priceline has the lead in that market. They still don’t know how to cap that volcano though. Most of Priceline’s sales come from outside the US. (I didn’t know that, did you?).

The slowing U.S. economy and chaos in the airline industry have helped rather than hurt Priceline. Consumers are looking for more bargains. At the same time, airlines and hotels have more unsold inventory that can be unloaded in Priceline's blind bargain offerings that let consumers offer a price without selecting a brand. I use Priceline whenever I have to book a room for someone. What do I care where they stay, as long as I get a room cheap on my dime. About 80% of Priceline's gross profit comes from hotel bookings, most of it generated in Europe through its Booking.com property.

Something else you didn’t know:

· Last quarter earnings were up 54% from the same quarter a year earlier. And earnings growth has accelerated in recent quarters, with each quarter coming in higher than the previous quarter.

· Sales growth was 33% last quarter.

· The stock's return on equity is 42%.


Priceline thinks that travelers will find that summer airfares could be as much as 25% more expensive than last year, on average, and that's before factoring in extra fees for baggage, pillows, food and such. Travelers who want to save on air travel will need to plan ahead, be flexible and try different approaches to booking their trips.

Name Your Own Price continues to be a good choice for last-minute travelers who can't find an affordable fare. Despite the decrease in capacity, airlines are still flying with some empty seats, especially during off-peak travel days and times. Travelers are having success with last-minute priceline.com airline ticket bids that are up to 50% below the published fares. The deals are there. The key to finding the best deals is using Priceline's fare search tools to find the off-peak days and times where the bargains are likely to be. And the Priceline brand still resonates in the U.S., mainly from its pioneering name-your-own-price ticket service begun a decade ago when the firm was founded. Name-your-price continues to grow, especially in a weak economy as consumers look for ultra-low prices.

I only see blue skies ahead. Once that volcano is in the rear view mirror, we will be looking squarely at phenomenal earnings and revenue growth. ANAL-ysts projected EPS of $11.21 per share on revenues of 2.88 B. However, $$$MR. MARKET$$$ knows that PCLN will overcome this stumble and post earnings of $12.35/share on revenues of $2.95 billion. At the existing PE of 24.63, that projects to a share price of $304.18, which is well past my sale target.

Why trust me, listen to the boss:

The Company's worldwide businesses were able to maintain gross booking growth over 50% in the 1st quarter, powered by strong growth in hotel room nights, which increased 57% over last year," said Jeffery H. Boyd, priceline's President and CEO. "We believe all of our brands continued to gain share in hotel reservations during the quarter. International local currency bookings growth was 73%, representing continued high rates of transaction growth and stabilizing hotel room rates. Domestic growth at 16% came in at the high end of our range of guidance despite weaker results in opaque airline tickets and rental cars tied to reduced capacity in those markets."

Looking forward, Mr. Boyd said, "We are pleased with the strong growth reflected in our 2nd quarter guidance despite the impact of several negative external factors. The Iceland volcano caused widespread disruptions in air travel which resulted in a significant increase in hotel room cancellations for our Booking.com business. Civil unrest in Thailand has substantially impacted hotel room reservations in Thailand, which is a key market for Agoda and Booking.com's Asia business. Lastly, sovereign debt concerns in Europe have resulted in a significant decline in the value of the Euro as compared to the U.S. dollar which adversely impacts our financial results as expressed in U.S. dollars."

"These external factors notwithstanding, we are pleased to see some improvement in hotel occupancy and average daily rates which are hopefully signs of improved consumer demand as we enter the summer travel season. We continue to focus on growing our global hotel business by expanding into attractive geographic markets, adding hotel supply and integrating supply across our businesses. We also concentrate on effective marketing to build our brands while continuously improving our service to customers by adding content and innovative functionality. We believe the company's worldwide hotel platform is well-positioned to build share in global online hotel reservations."

Alright alright, like trying to sneak out a wet fart, I gambled and lost getting in before earnings, but before long, I will be drinking Trania and laughing like Clint Howard in the Corbemite Maneuver. I am HUGE!!!

$$$MR. MARKET$$$

[squarepusher]

here here to Mr. Market!
________
MERCEDES-BENZ AXOR

[riverbabe]

YES! Love that face! Love that body! MrM you're the best!

[mrmarket]

based on the way it moved off of its bottom today, it seems to me that this stock still wants to go up! Yay!!

[skiracer]

i was watching it all day today looking for an entry but never felt comfortable with the trade. looking at the call options. preferably the july 10 $220 at $17.98 or the july 10 $230 at $13.10. if the stock makes a move back to anywhere near recent highs the july 10 $230 is going to be a very valuable option. and this last earnings report was great. their guidance for the next qtr was lower but their business is so strong and their share is so large that i would expect them to raise guidance at some point as conditions get better globally, especially in europe. those two call options have taken big hits along with the stock itself. the stock is to strong fundamentally to stay down at these levels for to long and really is a great buying opportunity.