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

Posted by ABMN Staff on Feb 25th, 2026

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG – Get Free Report) had its target price dropped by investment analysts at Argus from $6,400.00 to $4,700.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the business services provider’s stock. Argus’ price objective indicates a potential upside of 15.52% from the company’s current price.

Several other research analysts have also commented on BKNG. Mizuho upgraded Booking from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $6,000.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Citizens Jmp reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Booking in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their target price on shares of Booking from $6,250.00 to $6,400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Gordon Haskett decreased their price target on shares of Booking from $5,440.00 to $5,370.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Twenty-nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $5,867.09.

Check Out Our Latest Report on Booking

Booking Price Performance

NASDAQ BKNG opened at $4,068.56 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $128.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.21. Booking has a 12 month low of $3,765.45 and a 12 month high of $5,839.41. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $4,948.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $5,158.70.

Booking shares are set to split on the morning of Monday, April 6th. The 25-1 split was announced on Wednesday, February 18th. The newly issued shares will be payable to shareholders after the closing bell on Thursday, April 2nd.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The business services provider reported $48.80 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $47.96 by $0.84. The business had revenue of $6.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.12 billion. Booking had a negative return on equity of 128.99% and a net margin of 20.08%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $41.55 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Booking will post 209.92 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 15 shares of Booking stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5,191.15, for a total transaction of $77,867.25. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 687 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,566,320.05. This trade represents a 2.14% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 452 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4,149.75, for a total value of $1,875,687.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 18,543 shares in the company, valued at $76,948,814.25. This represents a 2.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 3,108 shares of company stock valued at $15,287,682 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Booking

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of Booking by 34.9% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 251 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,249,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Booking during the fourth quarter valued at about $209,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Booking by 25.0% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 165 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $955,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the period. Bouchey Financial Group Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Booking in the second quarter worth about $208,000. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC increased its position in shares of Booking by 13.3% in the second quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 136 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $787,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Booking

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

Positive Sentiment: OpenTable launched “OpenTable Media,” a new advertising and partnerships network that could add incremental, higher-margin revenue and diversify Booking’s monetization beyond travel bookings. OpenTable Launches New Media Network
Positive Sentiment: Analysis highlighting Booking’s merchant-heavy model and projected free-cash-flow growth supports a thesis for durable margins, buybacks and shareholder returns — a fundamental argument investors favor. Booking Holdings: Hotel Fragmentation Moat
Positive Sentiment: Forbes frames BKNG as a reasonably valued, low-debt business with solid cash flow and margins, reinforcing the “buy the dip / long-term” narrative that could attract value-minded investors. Is Booking Stock The Market’s Best-Kept Secret?
Positive Sentiment: Erste Group raised FY2026 EPS estimates, which supports earnings momentum expectations and helps justify current multiples. FY2026 EPS Estimates for Booking Lifted by Erste Group Bank
Neutral Sentiment: Booking announced a 25-for-1 stock split (coverage notes that splits often draw retail interest). Splits can boost liquidity and retail demand but don’t change fundamentals. Booking Holdings Is the First Blockbuster Stock Split of 2026
Neutral Sentiment: BNP Paribas Exane updated its price target (reported cut to $6,000) — still well above current levels, so the move is a mixed signal on near-term upside. BNP Paribas Exane Cuts Booking Price Target to $6,000
Negative Sentiment: Argus lowered its price target sharply (to $4,700) and Jefferies trimmed its target (to $4,500) — analyst downgrades reduce visible upside and can weigh on sentiment despite the “buy/hold” labels. Argus Adjusts Booking Price Target Jefferies Adjusts Price Target on Booking
Negative Sentiment: Analyst commentary flagged slightly lower fair-value estimates and raised questions about margin impact from AI spending and sector multiples — a valuation headwind to watch. How The Story Is Shifting For Booking Holdings (BKNG)

Booking Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.