Wedbush Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) Stock

Posted by Brenda Bartman on Aug 5th, 2026

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG – Get Free Report) had its price objective upped by Wedbush from $211.00 to $247.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the business services provider’s stock. Wedbush’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 21.14% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of Booking from $230.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price objective (up from $240.00) on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday. UBS Group upped their target price on Booking from $249.00 to $266.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Argus set a $210.00 price objective on Booking and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Booking presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $229.90.

View Our Latest Research Report on BKNG

Booking Stock Up 5.0%

BKNG opened at $203.90 on Wednesday. Booking has a 12-month low of $150.14 and a 12-month high of $231.80. The business has a 50 day moving average of $176.96 and a 200-day moving average of $176.82. The stock has a market cap of $158.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.82, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.07.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.43 by $0.11. Booking had a negative return on equity of 117.14% and a net margin of 22.23%.The business had revenue of $7.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $55.40 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Booking will post 10.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Booking

In related news, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 1,125 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.00, for a total transaction of $216,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 16,508 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,169,536. This represents a 6.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP Peter J. Millones sold 62,500 shares of Booking stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.67, for a total value of $10,229,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 425,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $69,572,025.25. This represents a 12.82% 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 68,625 shares of company stock worth $11,445,375. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Booking

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd bought a new position in shares of Booking in the fourth quarter worth about $361,463,000. Rit Capital Partners PLC bought a new stake in shares of Booking during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $51,396,000. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. acquired a new position in Booking during the 4th quarter worth approximately $210,352,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. lifted its stake in Booking by 862.0% in the 4th quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 218,080 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,167,890,000 after purchasing an additional 195,411 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rathbones Group PLC boosted its position in Booking by 20.5% in the fourth quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 64,908 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $347,604,000 after buying an additional 11,042 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Booking News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

Positive Sentiment: Q2 earnings and revenue beat expectations: Booking reported adjusted earnings of $2.54 per share versus the $2.43 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 8.1% year over year to $7.35 billion, ahead of the $7.19 billion forecast. Booking Holdings earnings report
Positive Sentiment: Operating metrics exceeded guidance: Management reportedly surpassed expectations for room nights, gross bookings and EBITDA, supported by steady domestic and regional travel demand. The company is also advancing AI-powered personalization and its connected-trip strategy. Booking Holdings Q2 earnings call highlights
Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised or maintained bullish views: BTIG reaffirmed a Buy rating and set a $250 price target, while Cantor Fitzgerald raised its target to $220 from $175, although it retained a Neutral rating. Analyst rating and price target updates
Neutral Sentiment: Booking’s results suggest travel demand remains healthy despite geopolitical concerns and weaker long-haul international travel. However, growth has decelerated from recent quarters, and investors remain focused on the sustainability of demand and shareholder returns. Booking Holdings reports higher revenue
Negative Sentiment: Q3 revenue guidance was below expectations: Booking forecast third-quarter revenue of $9.4 billion to $9.5 billion, below the roughly $9.7 billion analyst consensus. Rising marketing costs, which grew faster than revenue, also point to competitive pressure from Google and potentially higher customer-acquisition costs. Booking Holdings Q2 investment analysis

About Booking

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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.