Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) Cut to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Sunday.

BKNG has been the topic of a number of other reports. Benchmark dropped their target price on shares of Booking from $6,400.00 to $5,600.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Booking from $5,954.00 to $5,456.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 19th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Booking from $6,000.00 to $6,200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Oppenheimer set a $6,000.00 price objective on Booking and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $6,250.00 target price on shares of Booking in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Twenty-nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Booking has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $5,845.61.

Booking Stock Up 2.3%

BKNG stock opened at $4,210.32 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $133.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.34, a P/E/G ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.21. Booking has a twelve month low of $3,765.45 and a twelve month high of $5,839.41. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $4,422.36 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $4,934.99.

Shares of Booking are going to split on Monday, April 6th. The 25-1 split was announced on Wednesday, February 18th. The newly created shares will be issued to shareholders after the closing bell 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 the consensus estimate of $47.96 by $0.84. The firm had revenue of $6.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.12 billion. Booking had a net margin of 20.08% and a negative return on equity of 128.99%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $41.55 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Booking will post 209.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Booking Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th were issued a dividend of $10.50 per share. This is a boost from Booking’s previous quarterly dividend of $9.60. This represents a $42.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 6th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.28%.

Insider Activity

In related news, 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 19,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $101,631,984.10. This trade represents a 4.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 15 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5,191.15, for a total transaction of $77,867.25. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 687 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,566,320.05. This represents a 2.14% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 2,749 shares of company stock valued at $12,571,467. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Booking

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Booking during the 4th quarter worth approximately $209,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its position in Booking by 25.0% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 165 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $955,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its position in Booking by 50.0% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 87 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $504,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC lifted its stake in Booking by 74.8% during the second quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC now owns 792 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $4,585,000 after purchasing an additional 339 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Booking

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Board-approved 25-for-1 forward split takes effect April 2, with split-adjusted trading beginning April 6 — this increases share accessibility for retail investors and is likely drawing buying interest ahead of the split. A $4,000 Stock Is About to Become Affordable: Inside Booking’s Historic Split
• Neutral Sentiment: Booking announced a webcast and conference call for its Q1 2026 results on April 28 (4:30 p.m. ET); investors will watch guidance and travel trends for directional cues. Booking Holdings to Webcast First Quarter 2026 Financial Results on April 28
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks notes Booking “advanced” in the latest session, signaling near-term buying but also highlighting the stock’s mixed performance versus the market. Booking Holdings (BKNG) Advances But Underperforms Market: Key Facts
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage notes the stock “still underperforms” the broader market despite the uptick, reflecting caution among investors who may be weighing valuation (P/E ~25) and whether travel demand growth can outpace expectations. Booking Holdings Inc. stock rises Tuesday, still underperforms market

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.