The Goldman Sachs Group Lowers Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) Price Target to $223.00

Key Points

• Goldman Sachs trimmed its price target on Booking to $223 (from $226) and kept a "neutral" rating, amid similar downgrades from other firms; the stock still carries a consensus "Moderate Buy" and an average analyst target of about $228.60.
• Booking's Q1 results were mixed—revenue rose ~16% to $5.53 billion but EPS missed expectations—and management cut full‑year revenue guidance to high‑single digits, with Q2 revenue guidance of roughly $7.1–7.2B below Street estimates, citing the Middle East conflict.
• Company insiders have been net sellers (about 60,876 shares last quarter), though management highlighted record share repurchases, signaling continued capital returns to shareholders.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG - Get Free Report) had its price objective cut by analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group from $226.00 to $223.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has a "neutral" rating on the business services provider's stock. The Goldman Sachs Group's price target suggests a potential upside of 29.76% from the stock's previous close.

Several other analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Booking from $244.00 to $220.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. KeyCorp reduced their price target on Booking from $260.00 to $237.40 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 19th. B. Riley Financial dropped their target price on shares of Booking from $272.00 to $264.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Booking from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $200.00 price objective (down from $230.00) on shares of Booking in a report on Thursday, February 19th. One 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $228.60.

Booking Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:BKNG opened at $171.86 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $136.08 billion, a PE ratio of 25.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.20. Booking has a 12-month low of $150.62 and a 12-month high of $233.58. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $173.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $192.54.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Booking

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Booking in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Guerra Advisors Inc purchased a new stake in Booking during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Daytona Street Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Booking during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Legacy Bridge LLC acquired a new stake in Booking in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Camelot Portfolios LLC purchased a new position in shares of Booking in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. 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: Analysts reaffirm/raise — BTIG reiterated a Buy and set a $250 target, and UBS nudged its target to $260, providing upside and signaling continued analyst conviction. BTIG reaffirmation (Benzinga) UBS raises target (MarketScreener)
• Positive Sentiment: Product/AI initiatives — KAYAK launched "Ask AI" and management highlighted generative-AI assistants that cut costs and boost bookings, supporting longer‑term margin tailwinds. KAYAK Ask AI launch (GlobeNewswire) AI assistants boost (PYMNTS)
• Positive Sentiment: Capital returns — Management flagged record share repurchases on the call, which supports shareholder value even as top-line headwinds persist. Earnings highlights / buybacks (Yahoo)
• Neutral Sentiment: Q1 results mixed but resilient — Gross bookings and revenue grew (~16% YoY to $5.5B); non‑GAAP EPS modestly topped some estimates, so fundamentals showed demand resilience despite regional disruption. Q1 results summary (Yahoo)
• Neutral Sentiment: Small analyst model tweaks — Erste trimmed FY26 EPS slightly (to $10.65) but the consensus remains close; some firms maintained Buy ratings even while adjusting estimates. (Research notes)
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance cut — Management reduced its full‑year revenue-growth outlook from low‑double digits to high‑single digits, citing the Middle East conflict; Q2 revenue guidance of ~$7.1–7.2B trails Street expectations (~$7.6B), a clear near‑term headwind. Outlook cut (WSJ) Press release / slides (Booking)
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrades/target cuts — Robert W. Baird trimmed its price target to $215 (still Outperform); such downward revisions can cap the stock near term. Baird target cut (The Fly)

About Booking

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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