FY2027 EPS Estimates for Booking Reduced by Erste Group Bank

Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) – Analysts at Erste Group Bank reduced their FY2027 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Booking in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, September 18th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now forecasts that the business services provider will post earnings of $12.33 per share for the year, down from their previous forecast of $12.36. The consensus estimate for Booking’s current full-year earnings is $10.48 per share.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on BKNG. Benchmark upped their price target on Booking from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $215.00 target price on Booking and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. B. Riley Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $274.00 price target (up from $264.00) on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating and set a $234.00 price target on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price objective on shares of Booking from $175.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $236.98.

Booking Stock Down 5.1%

NASDAQ:BKNG opened at $155.90 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $117.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.25, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.07. Booking has a 52 week low of $150.14 and a 52 week high of $225.00. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $192.38 and a 200 day moving average of $179.07.

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

Booking Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be paid a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 11th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.58%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Ewout L. Steenbergen sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $211.03, for a total transaction of $4,220,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 59,794 shares in the company, valued at $12,618,327.82. The trade was a 25.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Paulo Pisano sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $203.48, for a total transaction of $610,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 73,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,935,432. The trade was a 3.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 83,050 shares of company stock valued at $17,182,274 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Booking

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BKNG. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Booking by 4,630.9% in the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 24,175 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $4,309,000 after purchasing an additional 23,664 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Booking by 2,549.7% during the second quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 88,949 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $16,077,000 after acquiring an additional 85,592 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Booking by 2,737.9% in the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,446,908 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $280,008,000 after acquiring an additional 1,395,922 shares during the last quarter. Andra AP fonden lifted its holdings in Booking by 1,398.7% in the 2nd quarter. Andra AP fonden now owns 106,590 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $18,999,000 after purchasing an additional 99,478 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its stake in Booking by 2,674.6% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 39,420,711 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $7,026,348,000 after purchasing an additional 37,999,915 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Key Booking News

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Booking’s long-term investment case remains supported by expected growth in global travel demand and its established portfolio of brands, including Booking.com and Priceline. The company’s scale, customer base and broad lodging inventory could help it continue benefiting from travel expansion. Booking Holdings Is Positioned to Benefit From Long-Term Travel Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group slightly reduced its fiscal 2027 EPS forecast for Booking to $12.33 from $12.36. Although the adjustment is minor, it reflects limited near-term earnings momentum; the broader consensus estimate for the current fiscal year is $10.48 per share. Booking Holdings Analyst Estimate Update
• Negative Sentiment: The primary catalyst for the selloff is concern that Meta Platforms’ Muse personal AI agent could allow travelers to search and book trips directly, bypassing online travel aggregators. That threatens Booking’s customer-acquisition economics, traffic, commissions and long-term competitive position. Expedia and Airbnb also declined, suggesting the market is repricing the entire travel-booking business model. Travel Booking Stocks Tumble as Muse Threatens to Bypass Them
• Negative Sentiment: BKNG has declined about 18.6% during September, putting it on track for its weakest month since June 2022. Reports also highlight concerns about AI agents and competition involving Etraveli, reinforcing fears that structural disruption—not merely short-term market volatility—is weighing on the shares. Booking Holdings Eyes Worst Month Since June 2022

About Booking

Booking Holdings Inc is a global provider of online travel and related services. The company connects consumers with accommodations, flights, rental cars, restaurants and travel experiences through a portfolio of digital brands and websites.

Its principal brands include Booking.com, which offers lodging, transportation and travel experiences; Priceline, which provides online booking services for hotels, flights, rental cars and vacation packages; Agoda, which focuses primarily on travel bookings in Asia and other international markets; KAYAK, a travel metasearch engine; OpenTable, a restaurant reservation and management platform; and Rentalcars.com, a global car rental service.

Booking Holdings serves customers, travel providers and restaurants across numerous countries and regions, with a particularly extensive international presence.