Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) Price Target Lowered to $6,250.00 at Citigroup

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) had its price objective cut by Citigroup from $6,500.00 to $6,250.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the business services provider’s stock. Citigroup’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 56.00% from the stock’s current price.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Seaport Research Partners increased their price target on shares of Booking from $6,030.00 to $6,260.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of Booking from $5,800.00 to $5,600.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Mizuho raised Booking from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $6,000.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Oppenheimer set a $6,000.00 price objective on Booking and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, HSBC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $7,746.00 target price on shares of Booking in a report on Thursday. Twenty-eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Booking currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $5,976.79.

Booking Trading Down 6.2%

NASDAQ:BKNG traded down $263.58 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $4,006.41. 709,470 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 357,232. Booking has a fifty-two week low of $3,871.01 and a fifty-two week high of $5,839.41. The company has a market capitalization of $129.13 billion, a PE ratio of 26.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $5,057.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $5,201.54.

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

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last announced its earnings results 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 134.86% and a net margin of 19.37%.The firm had revenue of $6.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $41.55 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Booking will post 209.92 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Booking

In other news, Director Robert J. Mylod, Jr. sold 40 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $5,105.36, for a total value of $204,214.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 840 shares in the company, valued at $4,288,502.40. This trade represents a 4.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 19,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $101,631,984.10. This trade represents a 4.63% 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 valued at $15,287,682 in the last ninety days. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Booking

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake 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 during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Booking during the 4th quarter worth approximately $209,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Booking by 25.0% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 165 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $955,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Bouchey Financial Group Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Booking during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $208,000. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC lifted its stake in Booking by 13.3% in the 2nd quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 136 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $787,000 after buying an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Booking News

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat on revenue and showed strong demand: revenue $6.35B (+16% YoY), room nights +9% and gross bookings +16%, supporting margin expansion. Q4 Earnings Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Corporate action: company announced a 25-for-1 stock split (shares payable early April) and a dividend raise — increases retail accessibility/liquidity and can attract new buyers. Split Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Management is highlighting generative-AI initiatives to improve personalization and conversion — a potential medium-term efficiency/margin tailwind if adoption scales. AI Initiatives
• Neutral Sentiment: Forward tone: Q1 revenue guide was roughly $5.4B–$5.5B (above some Street estimates) but EPS guidance was unclear/mixed in early reports — investors will watch upcoming detail for margin/EPS clarity. Q1 Guide & Metrics
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street reaction is mixed: several firms reaffirm/raise ratings while others trimmed price targets (some cuts reflect near-term concerns but consensus target remains well above current price). Analyst Notes & Targets
• Negative Sentiment: Sell-off drivers: some coverage emphasized signs of cooling travel demand and AI disintermediation risk (e.g., agentic travel booking from big tech), which fed a broad pullback despite the beat. Demand Cooling Coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst target trims and mixed earnings readouts (some outlets flagged EPS below certain Street estimates) added uncertainty and likely pressured the stock. Alternate EPS Readout
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: CEO disclosed multiple share sales in February, which some investors read as a mild negative signal even though remaining holdings are large. SEC Form 4 (Insider Sale)

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.