You can't keep a good portal down. After priceline.com
Revenue grew by 18% to $603.7 million. Pro forma profits clocked in at a whopping $2.02 per share, well ahead of both the $1.55 a share it earned a year ago and the $1.75 a share that Wall Street was expecting.
Analysts have a funny way of missing this quarterly flight. Priceline has now topped guesstimates for 13 consecutive quarters.
Things were smoking on the lodging side, with hotel night bookings rising by a staggering 44%.
Of course, that doesn't mean the hospitality industry is anywhere close to bouncing back. Boutique-hotel operator Morgans
The figures for airline-ticket sales and rental-car days weren't as buoyant, but these areas still cleaned up nicely, with gains of 14% and 15%, respectively.
In short, Priceline is gaining market share.
Lean times are advantageous to sites that are established deal-breakers. Priceline, Travelzoo
Don't expect Wall Street to pick up on any of this. Three months later, the only real surprise will be if we're not here discussing Priceline's ability to extend its analyst-humbling streak to 14 quarters.
