Argus Issues Positive Forecast for Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) Stock Price

Key Points

• Argus raised its price target on Booking to $205 (from $188) and maintained a "Buy" rating, implying roughly a 21.5% upside, while analysts' consensus remains a Moderate Buy with an average target near $227.14.
• Shares fell about 3% to $168.77 after Q1 results showing $5.53 billion in revenue (up 16.2%), as management trimmed Q2/full-year guidance citing the Middle East conflict and recent analyst target cuts and insider selling added near-term pressure.
• Booking is rolling out generative-AI tools like "Ask AI" across its platforms, which management says could boost bookings, conversion and margins over the medium term if adoption scales.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG - Get Free Report) had its price objective raised by research analysts at Argus from $188.00 to $205.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "buy" rating on the business services provider's stock. Argus' price objective would indicate a potential upside of 21.47% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on BKNG. Gordon Haskett lifted their price target on shares of Booking from $217.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. Piper Sandler set a $195.00 price target on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday. Oppenheimer restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $215.00 price target (down from $240.00) on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of Booking from $224.00 to $180.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of Booking from $234.00 to $215.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $227.14.

Booking Stock Down 3.0%

Shares of NASDAQ BKNG traded down $5.21 during trading on Thursday, reaching $168.77. 5,483,808 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,441,199. The business's 50-day moving average price is $173.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $192.32. Booking has a twelve month low of $150.62 and a twelve month high of $233.58. The company has a market capitalization of $133.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.20.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $27.56 by ($26.42). Booking had a negative return on equity of 128.99% and a net margin of 20.08%.The firm had revenue of $5.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.51 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.99 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 16.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Booking will post 10.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Booking

In other news, Director Robert J. Mylod, Jr. sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.21, for a total transaction of $204,214.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 21,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,288,502.40. This represents a 4.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 1,125 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.00, for a total transaction of $216,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 16,050 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,081,600. This represents a 6.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 60,876 shares of company stock worth $10,559,629 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Booking

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BKNG. J. Stern & Co. LLP lifted its holdings in Booking by 191,965.8% in the fourth quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 2,832,970 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $15,171,489,000 after purchasing an additional 2,831,495 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Booking in the fourth quarter worth about $3,271,041,000. HF Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings in Booking by 28,353.8% in the fourth quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC now owns 204,298 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,094,083,000 after purchasing an additional 203,580 shares during the period. Cardano Risk Management B.V. lifted its holdings in Booking by 862.0% in the fourth quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 218,080 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,167,890,000 after purchasing an additional 195,411 shares during the period. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in Booking by 15.4% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 966,121 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $5,173,899,000 after purchasing an additional 128,700 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.42% of the company's stock.

More Booking News

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and fundamental strength — BKNG reported double-digit revenue growth led by booming merchant revenues and topped earnings expectations, while management executed record share buybacks that support EPS per-share metrics. Merchant Model Strength Powers BKNG's Q1
• Positive Sentiment: AI product rollout may improve bookings & margins — Booking/KAYAK launched "Ask AI" and is expanding generative-AI tools across its platforms, which management says are cutting costs and enhancing user conversion. This supports medium-term margin upside if adoption scales. KAYAK Launches Ask AI
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusual options flow — Volume spikes in both calls and puts (large, concentrated trades) indicate speculative positioning and hedging that can amplify intraday moves but don’t reveal a clear directional bet. Booking Target of Unusually High Options Trading
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance cut and softer Q2/FY outlook — Management trimmed revenue growth guidance and flagged a weaker Q2 due to Middle East conflict weighing on travel demand; Q2 revenue guidance cited was below consensus, a clear near-term earnings headwind. Booking Cuts Full-Year Outlook (WSJ)
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst target trims — Multiple major banks trimmed price targets over the last 48 hours (Citigroup, HSBC, Goldman, Deutsche Bank, RBC and others), increasing perceived downside and pressuring sentiment. BMO PT Adjustment (example)
• Negative Sentiment: Institutional / insider moves — Notable hedge-fund trimming (e.g., Lone Pine disclosures) and continued insider share sales were reported, which can add to near-term selling pressure. Stephen Mandel Trims Position

Booking Company Profile

Booking Holdings Inc is a global online travel company that operates a portfolio of consumer brands and technology platforms that facilitate the search for and booking of travel services. The company's businesses focus on accommodations, transportation and related travel services through consumer-facing websites and apps as well as partner distribution channels. Booking Holdings was originally founded as Priceline in the late 1990s and adopted the Booking Holdings name in 2018; it is headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut.

Its core offerings include online reservations for hotels, vacation rentals and other lodging; flight and car rental search and booking; and ancillary services that support travel planning and on-property experiences.

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