Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) Price Target Lowered to $225.00 at Citigroup

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) had its price objective cut by stock analysts at Citigroup from $250.00 to $225.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the business services provider’s stock. Citigroup’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 30.92% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on BKNG. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on Booking from $244.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Susquehanna set a $260.00 price objective on Booking in a research note on Friday, February 20th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Booking in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $200.00 target price (down from $230.00) on shares of Booking in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Gordon Haskett decreased their price target on Booking from $217.60 to $214.80 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $228.60.

Booking Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of BKNG stock opened at $171.86 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $136.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.87, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.20. Booking has a 12-month low of $150.62 and a 12-month high of $233.58. The company has a 50 day moving average of $173.49 and a 200-day moving average of $192.54.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $27.56 by ($26.42). Booking had a net margin of 20.08% and a negative return on equity of 128.99%. The business had revenue of $5.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.51 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.99 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Booking will post 10.64 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Booking

In other news, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 1,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.00, for a total value of $216,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 16,050 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,081,600. This represents a 6.55% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 16,726 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 298,174 shares in the company, valued at approximately $55,269,532.64. This represents a 5.31% 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. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 60,876 shares of company stock valued at $10,559,629. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Booking

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new position in Booking in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Guerra Advisors Inc purchased a new stake in Booking during the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Daytona Street Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Legacy Bridge LLC bought a new position in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Camelot Portfolios LLC purchased a new position in shares of Booking in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Booking

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts reaffirm/raise — BTIG reiterated a Buy and set a $250 target, and UBS nudged its target to $260, providing upside and signaling continued analyst conviction. BTIG reaffirmation (Benzinga) UBS raises target (MarketScreener)
• Positive Sentiment: Product/AI initiatives — KAYAK launched “Ask AI” and management highlighted generative-AI assistants that cut costs and boost bookings, supporting longer‑term margin tailwinds. KAYAK Ask AI launch (GlobeNewswire) AI assistants boost (PYMNTS)
• Positive Sentiment: Capital returns — Management flagged record share repurchases on the call, which supports shareholder value even as top-line headwinds persist. Earnings highlights / buybacks (Yahoo)
• Neutral Sentiment: Q1 results mixed but resilient — Gross bookings and revenue grew (~16% YoY to $5.5B); non‑GAAP EPS modestly topped some estimates, so fundamentals showed demand resilience despite regional disruption. Q1 results summary (Yahoo)
• Neutral Sentiment: Small analyst model tweaks — Erste trimmed FY26 EPS slightly (to $10.65) but the consensus remains close; some firms maintained Buy ratings even while adjusting estimates. (Research notes)
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance cut — Management reduced its full‑year revenue-growth outlook from low‑double digits to high‑single digits, citing the Middle East conflict; Q2 revenue guidance of ~$7.1–7.2B trails Street expectations (~$7.6B), a clear near‑term headwind. Outlook cut (WSJ) Press release / slides (Booking)
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrades/target cuts — Robert W. Baird trimmed its price target to $215 (still Outperform); such downward revisions can cap the stock near term. Baird target cut (The Fly)

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.