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

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

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on BKNG. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $6,250.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a research report on Tuesday. Citigroup lowered their price target on Booking from $6,500.00 to $6,250.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Argus dropped their target price 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 restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, DA Davidson cut their price objective on shares of Booking from $6,600.00 to $6,000.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Twenty-nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $5,867.09.

Booking Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of Booking stock opened at $4,550.43 on Friday. Booking has a 52 week low of $3,765.45 and a 52 week high of $5,839.41. The stock has a market cap of $144.11 billion, a PE ratio of 27.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.21. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $4,772.12 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $5,098.57.

Booking shares are going to split before the market opens on Monday, April 6th. The 25-1 split was announced on Wednesday, February 18th. The newly minted shares will be issued to shareholders after the market closes on Thursday, April 2nd.

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

Insider Activity at Booking

In related news, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 15 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5,362.00, for a total transaction of $80,430.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 702 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,764,124. This represents a 2.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 953 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5,181.34, for a total transaction of $4,937,817.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 19,615 shares in the company, valued at approximately $101,631,984.10. This represents a 4.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 3,108 shares of company stock valued at $15,287,682 over the last quarter. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BKNG. J. Stern & Co. LLP grew its position 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 valued at $15,171,489,000 after acquiring an additional 2,831,495 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Booking in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $3,271,041,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Booking by 578,824.0% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 289,462 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,675,765,000 after purchasing an additional 289,412 shares during the period. HF Advisory Group LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 valued at $1,094,083,000 after buying an additional 203,580 shares during the period. Finally, Cardano Risk Management B.V. raised its holdings in Booking by 862.0% during the 4th 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 last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Booking News

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.