Nov. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Priceline.com Inc., the online travel agency, jumped to its highest level in more than nine years in U.S. trading after reporting third-quarter sales and profit that topped analysts’ estimates.

Priceline.com rose $30.49, or 18 percent, to $204.22 at 4 p.m. New York time on the Nasdaq Stock Market, the highest closing price since July 2000. The shares have almost tripled this year.

Excluding some costs, profit climbed to $3.45 a share, the company said yesterday in a statement. Analysts predicted $2.92 on average, a Bloomberg survey showed. Sales rose 30 percent to $730.7 million, beating the $700.1 million analysts estimated.

The company said it’s gaining market share in hotel-room reservations and had an “exceptionally strong” summer season as consumers booked discounted trips to save money amid the recession. Bookings, a measure of future revenue, topped the prediction of Imran Khan, an analyst at JPMorgan Chase & Co. in New York.

Third-quarter net income more than tripled to $319 million, or $6.42 a share, from $84.5 million, or $1.74, a year earlier.

Excluding some costs, fourth-quarter profit will be $1.52 to $1.62 a share, Norwalk, Connecticut-based Priceline.com said. Analysts predict $1.55 on average. Sales will rise as much as 28 percent from the year-earlier quarter, the company said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Dina Bass in Seattle at dbass2@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: November 10, 2009 16:16 EST