FY2026 EPS Estimates for Booking Boosted by Erste Group Bank

Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) – Investment analysts at Erste Group Bank upped their FY2026 EPS estimates for Booking in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, August 27th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now anticipates that the business services provider will earn $10.43 per share for the year, up from their previous estimate of $10.39. The consensus estimate for Booking’s current full-year earnings is $10.48 per share. Erste Group Bank also issued estimates for Booking’s FY2027 earnings at $12.33 EPS.

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

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on BKNG. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Booking from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Benchmark upped their price objective on Booking from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $240.00 price objective (up from $215.00) on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $220.00 price objective on Booking and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, B. Riley Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $274.00 target price (up from $264.00) on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Booking presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $236.70.

Booking Stock Performance

Shares of BKNG stock opened at $195.69 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $193.34 and its 200-day moving average is $177.91. The stock has a market cap of $147.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.66, a PEG ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.07. Booking has a 52-week low of $150.14 and a 52-week high of $226.10.

Booking Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 11th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Booking’s payout ratio is presently 18.58%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Booking news, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 1,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.00, for a total transaction of $216,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 16,508 shares in the company, valued at $3,169,536. This trade represents a 6.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP Peter J. Millones sold 50,050 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.59, for a total value of $10,389,879.50. Following the sale, the vice president owned 375,025 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $77,851,439.75. This represents a 11.77% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 80,550 shares of company stock worth $16,722,744 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Booking

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in BKNG. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in Booking by 34.9% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 251 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,249,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Booking in the fourth quarter valued at about $209,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Booking by 25.0% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 165 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $955,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its stake in shares of Booking by 50.0% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 87 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $504,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Osterweis Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Booking in the second quarter valued at about $179,000. 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: Rosenblatt initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $245 price target, implying approximately 25% upside from the referenced share price. The firm views Booking as the best-positioned online travel agency despite industry challenges, providing a potentially meaningful catalyst for the shares. Rosenblatt sees Booking as the best-positioned online travel agency
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks characterized Booking as a strong momentum stock based on its style-score framework, reinforcing the case that recent price and fundamental trends could attract momentum-oriented investors. Why Booking is a strong momentum stock
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank brokers raised their earnings estimates for Booking, suggesting improving expectations for the company’s future profitability. Higher forecasts can support valuation, although the article provides no details on the size or rationale of the revisions. Erste Group Bank lifts Booking earnings estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Priceline CEO Brigit Zimmerman discussed travel trends ahead of the Labor Day weekend. The interview may offer insight into demand and booking patterns, but the available report does not specify whether the commentary was favorable or unfavorable for Booking. Priceline CEO discusses travel trends
• Negative Sentiment: Booking has lagged the broader market this year, which could weigh on investor sentiment and highlights concerns about online-travel-sector growth or valuation. Separately, director Paulo Pisano sold 3,000 shares worth about $610,440 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan; the planned nature of the transaction reduces its signaling value, but it remains a modest negative headline.

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.