Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) Given "Buy" Rating at BTIG Research

Key Points

• BTIG Research reissued a Buy rating on Booking with a $250 price target (implying ~44% upside), while MarketBeat shows a consensus "Moderate Buy" target of $231.59.
• Q1 revenue rose about 16% year‑over‑year, but management cut FY26 revenue‑growth guidance to high‑single digits and issued a below‑consensus Q2 revenue guide (~$7.1–7.2B), driving downside pressure on the stock.
• Notable insider selling (CEO sold 16,726 shares; insiders sold ~60,876 shares in the last three months) and management citing Middle East geopolitical headwinds underscore near‑term demand risk, with institutional ownership high (~92%).

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy" rating reissued by BTIG Research in a research note issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $250.00 price target on the business services provider's stock. BTIG Research's price objective would suggest a potential upside of 44.11% from the stock's current price.

BKNG has been the subject of a number of other reports. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Booking in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Citizens Jmp restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Booking from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, March 29th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Booking from $215.00 to $214.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Booking from $250.00 to $224.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $231.59.

Booking Stock Down 2.3%

BKNG stock opened at $173.47 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $173.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $192.54. The company has a market cap of $137.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.20. Booking has a twelve month low of $150.62 and a twelve month high of $233.58.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $27.56 by ($26.42). The company had revenue of $5.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.51 billion. Booking had a net margin of 20.08% and a negative return on equity of 128.99%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 16.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.99 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Booking will post 10.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 16,726 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.36, for a total transaction of $3,100,331.36. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 298,174 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $55,269,532.64. The trade was a 5.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 1,125 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.00, for a total value of $216,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 16,050 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,081,600. This trade represents a 6.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders have sold 60,876 shares of company stock valued at $10,559,629. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Booking

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Shelton Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Booking by 31.9% in the 1st quarter. Shelton Wealth Management LLC now owns 314 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,322,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. boosted its stake in Booking by 9.0% in the 1st quarter. Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. now owns 2,391 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $10,067,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. boosted its stake in Booking by 59.0% in the 1st quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 194 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $817,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. boosted its stake in Booking by 370.2% in the 1st quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 3,019 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $12,711,000 after purchasing an additional 2,377 shares during the period. Finally, Ascentis Independent Advisors boosted its stake in Booking by 163.6% in the 1st quarter. Ascentis Independent Advisors now owns 116 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $488,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Booking News

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results showed revenue up ~16% year‑over‑year and operating metrics that beat or roughly met Street expectations — supporting the case that demand remains resilient. Booking’s Q1 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Booking highlighted benefits from generative AI (cost reductions and booking lift) and Kayak launched an “Ask AI” conversational planner — both help revenue/margin outlook over time and support investor confidence in product-led growth. AI assistants slash costs KAYAK Ask AI
• Neutral Sentiment: Street reactions are mixed: some firms reiterated buys and nudged targets (UBS raised its target slightly), while others trimmed targets modestly — keeping consensus bullish but showing calibration. UBS sticks to buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst estimate movement is minor: Erste trimmed FY26 EPS to $10.65 from $10.70 — a small revision aligned with consensus, not a material reset. Erste estimate cut
• Negative Sentiment: Management cut its FY26 revenue-growth outlook (from low‑double digits to high‑single digits) and Q2 revenue guide (~$7.1–7.2B) came in below consensus — the guidance reset is the main driver of downside pressure. WSJ: Cuts full‑year outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Geopolitical headwinds (Middle East conflict) are explicitly cited by management as curbing travel demand and prompting the outlook cut — an ongoing macro risk for near‑term revenue. Seeking Alpha: Outlook lowered
• Negative Sentiment: Market positioning signals: reports show notable insider sales and large institutional portfolio moves in Q1 — these flows can amplify price moves following the guidance miss. Quiver: insider & institutional activity

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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