Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to “Hold”

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on BKNG. Argus reduced their price target on shares of Booking from $6,400.00 to $4,700.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Citizens Jmp reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Susquehanna set a $6,500.00 target price on shares of Booking in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Piper Sandler reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $5,000.00 target price (down from $5,750.00) on shares of Booking in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of Booking from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $6,000.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, November 24th. Twenty-nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $5,867.09.

Booking Price Performance

NASDAQ BKNG opened at $4,550.43 on Friday. Booking has a 1 year low of $3,765.45 and a 1 year high of $5,839.41. The firm has a market cap of $144.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.39, a PEG ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $4,772.12 and a 200-day moving average price of $5,098.57.

Booking’s stock is set to split on Monday, April 6th. The 25-1 split was announced on Wednesday, February 18th. The newly created shares will be distributed to shareholders after the closing bell on Thursday, April 2nd.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The business services provider reported $48.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $47.96 by $0.84. Booking had a negative return on equity of 128.99% and a net margin of 20.08%.The firm had revenue of $6.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.12 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $41.55 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Booking will post 209.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, 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 transaction of $1,875,687.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 18,543 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,948,814.25. The trade was a 2.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 15 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5,191.15, for a total value of $77,867.25. Following the sale, the director directly owned 687 shares in the company, valued at $3,566,320.05. This trade represents a 2.14% 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 worth $15,287,682 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Booking

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Booking by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,997,949 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $16,055,006,000 after acquiring an additional 23,159 shares during the period. J. Stern & Co. LLP increased its holdings in Booking by 191,965.8% during the 4th quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 2,832,970 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $15,171,489,000 after acquiring an additional 2,831,495 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Booking by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,435,116 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $7,685,520,000 after purchasing an additional 6,976 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in Booking by 15.4% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Booking by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 854,838 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $4,936,132,000 after purchasing an additional 9,333 shares during the period. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Booking News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Board-approved 25-for-1 stock split and a materially higher quarterly cash dividend (payable March 31, record March 6) have supported recent buyer interest and helped fuel the prior rally; management also refreshed 2026 targets calling for above‑algorithm growth, EBITDA margin expansion and mid‑teens adjusted EPS growth — these items are demand-supportive fundamentals/technical catalysts. Booking Holdings jumps as stock-split and shareholder-return headlines keep buyers engaged
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street remains broadly constructive — BTIG reiterated a Buy and several firms maintain buy/overweight ratings with a median 6,000 price target, underpinning upside expectations versus the current price level. Booking’s (BKNG) Buy Rating Reiterated at BTIG Research
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and market commentary highlight a favorable secular setup — a recent piece argues Booking is well positioned to benefit from AI-driven improvements in travel demand and monetization, which supports a longer-term bull case. Booking Holdings Inc. (BKNG) Poised to Thrive in an AI-Driven Travel Market
• Neutral Sentiment: Market technicians/columnists are asking whether the recent >8% rally has run its course as shares consolidate; that debate increases short-term volatility but is not new company-specific news. Stock Of The Day: Is The Booking Holdings Rally Over?
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent short-interest print appears to show no meaningful short position (reports show zero shares), which reads as inconclusive/no immediate short-squeeze pressure — treat the published short-interest entries with caution due to data anomalies.
• Negative Sentiment: Notable insider selling activity (multiple executive sales flagged) may cause some investor concern about near-term insider conviction even though large-scale sales can be routine/plan-driven; this could weigh on sentiment for investors focused on insider flows. Booking Holdings jumps as stock-split and shareholder-return headlines keep buyers engaged

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.