Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) Price Target Lowered to $223.00 at The Goldman Sachs Group

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) had its price target cut by The Goldman Sachs Group from $226.00 to $223.00 in a research report report published on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the business services provider’s stock.

BKNG has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Barclays set a $210.00 target price on Booking and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Gordon Haskett dropped their target price on Booking from $217.60 to $214.80 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Booking in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Booking from $240.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Benchmark dropped their target price on Booking from $256.00 to $224.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $226.72.

Booking Price Performance

NASDAQ:BKNG opened at $173.98 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $173.66 and a 200 day moving average of $192.32. The company has a market capitalization of $137.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.18, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.20. Booking has a 1-year low of $150.62 and a 1-year high of $233.58.

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

Booking Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th were given a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 6th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Booking’s payout ratio is presently 25.26%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Booking

In other Booking news, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 1,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the director owned 16,050 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,081,600. The trade was a 6.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 16,726 shares of the business’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 owned 298,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $55,269,532.64. The trade was a 5.31% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 60,876 shares of company stock worth $10,559,629. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Booking

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

Booking News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat expectations on key metrics — revenue and bookings grew double digits and EBITDA/revenue showed strength, which underpins the near-term bullish case. Booking Holdings Q1 Earnings & Revenues Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted AI initiatives that are cutting costs and improving customer experience — investors see operational leverage from AI as a medium-term tailwind. Booking Holdings AI Assistants Slash Costs and Boost Bookings
• Positive Sentiment: KAYAK launched a conversational “Ask AI” feature that showcases product-level innovation and could help user engagement and conversion. KAYAK Launches Ask AI
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusual options flow: very large spikes in both calls and puts (massive call buying but also a surge in puts) — implies heightened short-term speculation and hedging rather than a one-sided directional bet. (Market data summary)
• Negative Sentiment: Company cut its full‑year outlook, citing the Middle East conflict’s hit to travel demand — the guidance pullback is the primary reason some investors trimmed multiple months of optimism. Booking Holdings Cuts Full-Year Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Broad analyst re‑ratings: several firms trimmed price targets (Goldman, Citi, HSBC, Mizuho, Deutsche Bank, RBC and others), putting downward pressure on sentiment despite many ratings remaining “buy/overweight.” Example: Goldman PT adjustment. Goldman Sachs Adjusts PT on Booking
• Negative Sentiment: Insider and large‑fund activity shows selling pressure (notable insider sales reported and some hedge‑fund trimming), which can sap conviction for short-term buyers. Quiver Quant — Insider Trading & Hedge Fund Moves
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing geopolitical and macro uncertainty (fuel/airline cost pressures, region-specific travel weakness) keeps the outlook uncertain and helps explain the muted price response to the quarter. Q1 Earnings Call Highlights

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.