Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) Price Target Raised to $260.00 at UBS Group

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) had its target price upped by UBS Group from $259.00 to $260.00 in a report released on Monday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports. UBS Group currently has a buy rating on the business services provider’s stock.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on BKNG. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price objective on shares of Booking from $216.28 to $187.92 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $200.00 price objective (down from $230.00) on shares of Booking in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. BNP Paribas Exane dropped their price objective on shares of Booking from $244.00 to $240.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Booking from $215.00 to $214.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $179.80 price objective (down from $233.20) on shares of Booking in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. One equities 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $232.45.

Booking Stock Performance

NASDAQ BKNG opened at $177.45 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $173.33 and its 200-day moving average price is $192.79. Booking has a 52-week low of $150.62 and a 52-week high of $233.58. The company has a market cap of $140.51 billion, a PE ratio of 26.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.20.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last released 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 $1.92 by $46.88. Booking had a net margin of 20.08% and a negative return on equity of 128.99%. The firm had revenue of $6.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.12 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.66 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Booking will post 10.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Booking Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th were paid a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 6th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.26%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Booking

In other Booking news, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 16,726 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.36, for a total value of $3,100,331.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 298,174 shares in the company, valued at $55,269,532.64. This trade represents a 5.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at 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 firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.00, for a total transaction of $216,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 16,050 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,081,600. This trade 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. Insiders sold a total of 60,876 shares of company stock worth $10,559,629 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Booking

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. J. Stern & Co. LLP lifted its stake in shares of Booking by 191,965.8% during the fourth quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 2,832,970 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $15,171,489,000 after buying an additional 2,831,495 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter worth $3,271,041,000. HF Advisory Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Booking by 28,353.8% during the fourth quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC now owns 204,298 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,094,083,000 after buying an additional 203,580 shares during the period. Cardano Risk Management B.V. lifted its stake in shares of Booking by 862.0% during the fourth quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 218,080 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,167,890,000 after buying an additional 195,411 shares during the period. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in shares of Booking by 15.4% during the fourth 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 buying an additional 128,700 shares during the period. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Booking News

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Oppenheimer highlights Booking as a “compelling entry point” as focus returns to fundamentals — supportive for longer‑term buyers looking for a rebound if results and guidance meet expectations. Booking Offers Compelling Entry Point as Focus Shifts Back to Fundamentals, Oppenheimer Says
• Positive Sentiment: UBS nudged its price target slightly higher to $260 and maintained a Buy rating — a modest supportive signal from a major sell‑side firm that implies room for upside versus current levels. UBS Adjusts Booking Holdings Price Target to $260
• Neutral Sentiment: Booking will post its Q1 2026 press release around 4:00 p.m. ET on April 28 — investors are waiting for revenue, margin and travel demand signals that could swing the stock either way after hours. Booking Holdings to Make First Quarter 2026 Earnings Press Release Available on Company’s Investor Relations Website on April 28
• Neutral Sentiment: Pre‑earnings coverage and previews (what to watch in the Q1 print) are increasing attention and short‑term volatility; these pieces don’t move fundamentals but amplify reaction to the release. Booking (BKNG) Reports Q1: Everything You Need To Know Ahead Of Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: B. Riley trimmed its price target to $264 (still a Buy) — a small down‑revision that can be interpreted as mildly negative near‑term sentiment and may have contributed to investor caution. B. Riley Lowers Price Target on Booking
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical/flow factors: trading volume was below average today and the stock sits below its 200‑day moving average — typical signals of profit‑taking and higher sensitivity to news around earnings. (Market data context.)

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.