Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty-seven brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-six have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $236.9829.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $234.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of Booking in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Wedbush increased their price target on Booking from $211.00 to $247.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. DA Davidson set a $240.00 price objective on Booking in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $230.00 target price on Booking and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th.

Booking Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ BKNG opened at $155.90 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $117.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.25, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.07. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $192.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $179.07. Booking has a 12 month low of $150.14 and a 12 month high of $225.00.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last posted its earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.43 by $0.11. Booking had a net margin of 25.53% and a negative return on equity of 102.96%. The firm had revenue of $7.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.19 billion. The business’s revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $55.40 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Booking will post 10.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th will be issued a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 11th. Booking’s payout ratio is presently 18.58%.

Insider Activity at Booking

In other news, insider Paulo Pisano sold 3,000 shares of Booking stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $203.48, for a total value of $610,440.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 73,400 shares in the company, valued at $14,935,432. This trade represents a 3.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Ewout L. Steenbergen sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $211.03, for a total transaction of $4,220,600.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 59,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,618,327.82. This represents a 25.06% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 83,050 shares of company stock valued at $17,182,274 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Booking

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Booking in the 2nd quarter valued at $11,646,302,000. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Booking by 2,674.6% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 39,420,711 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $7,026,348,000 after acquiring an additional 37,999,915 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new position in Booking during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,691,186,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in Booking in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,370,455,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in Booking by 2,525.5% in the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 6,101,866 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,087,597,000 after acquiring an additional 5,869,459 shares in the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Booking News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Booking’s long-term investment case remains supported by expected growth in global travel demand and its established portfolio of brands, including Booking.com and Priceline. The company’s scale, customer base and broad lodging inventory could help it continue benefiting from travel expansion. Booking Holdings Is Positioned to Benefit From Long-Term Travel Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group slightly reduced its fiscal 2027 EPS forecast for Booking to $12.33 from $12.36. Although the adjustment is minor, it reflects limited near-term earnings momentum; the broader consensus estimate for the current fiscal year is $10.48 per share. Booking Holdings Analyst Estimate Update
• Negative Sentiment: The primary catalyst for the selloff is concern that Meta Platforms’ Muse personal AI agent could allow travelers to search and book trips directly, bypassing online travel aggregators. That threatens Booking’s customer-acquisition economics, traffic, commissions and long-term competitive position. Expedia and Airbnb also declined, suggesting the market is repricing the entire travel-booking business model. Travel Booking Stocks Tumble as Muse Threatens to Bypass Them
• Negative Sentiment: BKNG has declined about 18.6% during September, putting it on track for its weakest month since June 2022. Reports also highlight concerns about AI agents and competition involving Etraveli, reinforcing fears that structural disruption—not merely short-term market volatility—is weighing on the shares. Booking Holdings Eyes Worst Month Since June 2022

About Booking

Booking Holdings Inc is a global provider of online travel and related services. The company connects consumers with accommodations, flights, rental cars, restaurants and travel experiences through a portfolio of digital brands and websites.

Its principal brands include Booking.com, which offers lodging, transportation and travel experiences; Priceline, which provides online booking services for hotels, flights, rental cars and vacation packages; Agoda, which focuses primarily on travel bookings in Asia and other international markets; KAYAK, a travel metasearch engine; OpenTable, a restaurant reservation and management platform; and Rentalcars.com, a global car rental service.

Booking Holdings serves customers, travel providers and restaurants across numerous countries and regions, with a particularly extensive international presence.