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Deciding between a Chinese technology giant and a global travel leader requires weighing two different growth paths. You might consider Alibaba Group (BABA -2.14%) or Booking Holdings (BKNG -3.27%) for your 2026 portfolio.

Alibaba focuses on e-commerce and cloud intelligence, while Booking operates a massive network of travel brands. These companies are compared because they both leverage digital platforms to connect buyers and sellers globally. Choosing between them depends on whether you prefer a diversified tech ecosystem or specialized travel dominance.

The case for AlibabaAlibaba serves millions of merchants and consumers through its AI-driven cloud and e-commerce segments. Its 88VIP membership base reached approximately 64 million as of August 2026, creating a loyal ecosystem for its commerce and digital services. The company is currently prioritizing technology infrastructure to provide merchants with broader marketing reach and sophisticated AI tools for business growth. It has a strong regional presence in travel services with its Fliggy brand, which offers flight bookings, hotels, and other services for tourists.

In its latest annual report, for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2026, revenue reached about $153 billion. This represented a revenue growth of roughly 3% compared with the prior fiscal year. Net income for the period was close to $15.5 billion, resulting in a net margin of approximately 10%. These results highlight the company's massive scale despite a cooling growth rate in its domestic market and intense competition.

As of its March 2026 balance sheet, the debt-to-equity ratio was roughly 0.2x. This ratio shows total debt is much lower than shareholder equity, suggesting a conservative debt level. Its current ratio, which measures a company's ability to pay short-term obligations using liquid assets, was approximately 1.3x. Free cash flow for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2026, was negative $7.6 billion. Free cash flow is calculated by subtracting capital expenditures from cash flow from operations.

The case for BookingBooking is a leader among travel and tourism stocks, providing reservations for hotels, flights, and restaurants. The company maintains relationships with roughly 4.7 million accommodation properties through brands like Booking.com and Agoda. It relies on third-party digital platforms to drive traffic to its various booking sites, effectively connecting global consumers with travel partners and insurance services.

In its latest annual report, for the fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2025, revenue reached about $26.9 billion. This was an increase of about 13% year over year. The company reported net income of around $5.4 billion, which equates to a net margin of approximately 20%. This net margin reflects the company's ability to turn one-fifth of its revenue into actual profit for shareholders while navigating global expansion.

According to its December 2025 balance sheet, the debt-to-equity ratio was roughly negative 3.5x. This negative value indicates that total liabilities exceed shareholder equity. Its current ratio, which helps investors see if a firm can cover its near-term bills, stands at approximately 1.3x. Free cash flow for the fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2025, was about $9.1 billion. This is the cash left over after paying for operations and necessary equipment.

Risk profile comparisonAlibaba faces significant regulatory pressure and intense competition within the Chinese e-commerce market. Since it operates in a sensitive geopolitical environment, shifts in trade policies or domestic regulations could impact its cloud and retail growth. Additionally, the rise of newer low-cost shopping platforms in Asia challenges its market share and its ability to maintain its current net margin.

Booking faces intense global competition from AI-native platforms and established technology companies like Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL -1.24%) and Apple Inc. (AAPL -0.14%). Regulatory scrutiny, particularly the European Union Digital Markets Act, could disrupt its growth-by-acquisition strategy and its direct consumer traffic. The company is also vulnerable to travel industry declines caused by geopolitical tensions or economic downturns, which could affect its high profitability levels.

Valuation comparisonBooking trades at a lower Forward P/E relative to future earnings estimates, while Alibaba looks cheaper by its P/S ratio using sales over the past twelve months.

MetricAlibabaBookingForward P/E16.9x16.0xP/S ratio1.8x4.5xValuation metrics include those sourced from Financial Modeling Prep (FMP) and may differ from those of other data providers.

Booking is successfully shifting from an agency model to a primarily merchant model. That means it used to make its money as an agent--connecting travelers to a hotel and collecting a commission while the hotel manages collecting payment from the traveler. In the merchant model, Booking "buys" capacity from hotels and other providers on its platform and collects payment directly from the traveler. This tends to lead to fatter margins.

The company is also in excellent financial shape. It has $16 billion in cash, which makes its balance sheet investment grade. A plus for shareholders, the company has a $20 billion share buyback program. The brand is increasingly a destination for travelers, which means it is paying less to companies like Google for search engine visibility. Today, two-thirds of Booking.com's visitors are "organic," meaning they are direct visitors, not from paid ad traffic.

Revenue will grow about 9% this year to $29.3 billion. But net income takes a healthier 50% leap to about $8.1 billion.

Alibaba, meanwhile, focuses on defending its cash-rich China e-commerce marketplaces, Taobao and Tmall, while funneling capital into higher-growth AI cloud and AI services. Alibaba is the public cloud leader in China and the owner of the Qwen open- and closed-source models. Yet its retail businesses are losing market share to Chinese rivals, which crimps the business's ability to fund money-losing AI model efforts. That means its AI cloud and compute services are the one impressive growth center for the business. It grew 45% year over year in that sector.

Overall, however, the business is growing more slowly, with revenue up about 10% in the current fiscal year, although net income is likely to drop by close to 20%, according to analyst consensus estimates in Chinese renminbi.

So which is the better buy? Alibaba operates in the hyper-competitive Chinese market and lacks the momentum to expand beyond the region. AI will require lots of capital to be competitive. Booking, on the other hand, is seeing benefits of scale in its focused niche, and its focus and growth are an easier story to sell to Wall Street. which tends ot benefit such stocks. Go with Booking.

Choosing between a turnaround play in the auto sector and a high-margin travel leader requires balancing recovery potential against proven growth. Should you buy Advance Auto Parts (AAP +0.49%) or Booking Holdings (BKNG -3.27%)?

Advance Auto Parts operates thousands of stores providing essential parts to professional mechanics and weekend hobbyists. Booking serves as a global intermediary for lodging and flights through brands like Booking.com and Priceline. These companies operate in very different industries, but both rely on consumer discretionary spending to drive their long-term results.

The case for Advance Auto PartsAdvance Auto Parts provides automotive aftermarket parts to both professional installers and do-it-yourself customers. Professional sales account for approximately 50% of total revenue, highlighting its deep integration with local repair shops. The company is currently focused on its 2024 Restructuring Plan, which aims to optimize supply chain hubs and streamline the store footprint.

In FY 2025, revenue reached about $8.6 billion, representing a year-over-year decline of roughly 5.4%. Despite the sales dip, the company reported net income of around $44 million. This resulted in a net margin of approximately 0.5%, a figure that measures how much profit a company keeps for every dollar of sales.

As of its January 2026 balance sheet, the debt-to-equity ratio is roughly 2.4x. This ratio compares total debt to shareholder equity, indicating the company uses more debt than equity to fund its assets. The current ratio is approximately 1.7x, while free cash flow was negative at negative $298 million, representing cash from operations minus capital spending.

The case for Booking HoldingsBooking operates as an online travel reservation intermediary, connecting travelers with hotels, flights, and rental cars. The company focuses on its Connected Trip vision, which integrates booking and payment services to simplify travel planning. It generates revenue through merchant commissions and agency fees across global brands like Priceline and Agoda, making it a key player among travel and tourism stocks.

In its latest annual report, filed for FY 2025, revenue reached approximately $26.9 billion, a growth rate of roughly 13.4% over the previous year. The company reported net income of about $5.4 billion for the same period. This led to a net margin of approximately 20%, showing a high level of profitability relative to total sales.

As of its December 2025 balance sheet, the debt-to-equity ratio is roughly negative 3.5x. This value means that total liabilities exceed shareholder equity. The current ratio is approximately 1.3x, and free cash flow reached a strong $9.1 billion, representing cash generated from operations minus capital expenditures.

Risk profile comparisonAdvance Auto Parts faces significant risks related to the successful implementation of its 2024 Restructuring Plan and supply chain optimization. Competitive threats are high from rivals like AutoZone (AZO -2.14%) and O'Reilly Automotive (ORLY -2.26%), as well as mass merchandisers and online retailers. The business is also sensitive to macroeconomic factors like vehicle miles driven and the average age of cars on the road.

Booking is highly sensitive to macroeconomic and geopolitical conditions that influence consumer travel spending and currency values. The company faces intense competition from Airbnb Inc. (ABNB -2.13%) and global technology firms like Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL -1.24%). Regulatory risks are also prominent, particularly regarding antitrust investigations and gatekeeper regulations in the European market.

Valuation comparisonAdvance Auto Parts appears cheaper when looking at its P/S ratio, which compares market capitalization to sales over the past twelve months. Meanwhile, the Forward P/E ratio compares the stock price to future earnings estimates.

MetricAdvance Auto PartsBookingForward P/E14.7x15.5xP/S ratio0.3x4.3xValuation metrics include those sourced from Financial Modeling Prep (FMP) and may differ from those of other data providers.

Booking Holdings is successfully shifting from an agency model to a primarily merchant model. That means it used to make its money as an agent--connecting travelers to a hotel and collecting a commission while the hotel manages collecting payment from the traveler. In the merchant model, Booking "buys" capacity from hotels and other providers on its platform and collects payment directly from the traveler. This tends to lead to fatter margins.

The company is also in excellent financial shape. It has $16 billion in cash, which makes its balance sheet investment grade. A plus for shareholders, the company has a $20 billion share buyback program. The brand is increasingly a destination for travelers, which means it is paying less to companies like Google for search engine visibility. Today, two-thirds of Booking.com's visitors are "organic," meaning they are direct visitors rather than from paid ad traffic.

Revenue will grow about 9% this year to $29.3 billion. But net income takes a healthier 50% leap to about $8.1 billion.

Advance Auto Parts is in the midst of turning around the struggles it has experienced over the past few years around sales growth, margins, and market share. The aftermarket auto parts business has been in a slump, due largely to a mix of factors: weak do-it-yourselfer demand, vehicle electrification, intense competition, and general pocketbook pressures on consumers.

Company management has been addressing the business' issues by rolling out a new multi-year turnaround program. That started in late 2024, including closing stores, optimizing store footprints, and overhauling its supply chain. To date, the program has produced mixed results. First-quarter fiscal 2026 results that were much better than expected, with revenue of $2.6 billion and net income of $25 million. But the second quarter disappointed the street, and shares plunged as revenue fell short of consensus at $2 billion, even as net income and other metrics beat expectations.

Analysts see full-year 2026 sales slightly lower at $8.57 billion, with net income improving to $167 million, roughly four times 2025 levels.

Advance Auto Parts is tempting as a buy-low possibility, but it's better to wait for the turnaround to really take hold. Booking Holdings is in the midst of executing on its game plan well today, so it's the better buy in 2026.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)---- $VENU #Booking--Venu Holding Corporation (“VENU” or the “Company”) (NYSE AMERICAN: VENU), an owner, operator, and developer of premium live entertainment destinations, today announced the expansion of its booking team with the addition of Paola Palazzo, as Senior Vice President and Head of Talent along with Kevin Couch as Senior Vice President of Talent. “You can build the most beautiful venue in the world, but it all comes down to who's on stage,” said J.W. Roth, Foun.

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

The European Union opened an investigation into online travel agent Booking.com on Wednesday over alleged failures to tackle fake listings and phishing scams.

The EU fears Booking.com has underestimated the impact of fraud and unlicensed accommodation, and is not sufficiently protecting users' data from being misused for scams.

The probe is the first into Booking.com under the Digital Services Act (DSA), a mammoth online content law that covers a wide array of platforms including social media and digital marketplaces.

"Europeans should be able to book their vacations without fear of being scammed," EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said in a statement.

The EU said it was also looking into whether the Netherlands-based firm breached rules "because it did not clearly label as ads those listings whose providers paid for a higher ranking in search results shown to users."

The DSA "sets clear responsibilities" and "we must ensure that the leading booking platform in Europe takes those responsibilities seriously," Virkkunen added.

Booking.com said that it was "cooperating fully" and that "security, trust and the protection of personal information are top priorities."

"We remain committed to working with relevant governments, regulators, law enforcement and industry partners to combat cybercrime and online fraud and protect travelers and partners," it added.

Booking.com is among over 20 very large online platforms that must comply with the DSA's stricter rules or risk fines that could go as high as 6% of their global turnover, or even a ban for serious and repeated breaches.

There is no legal deadline for the completion of the probe but the targeted company can offer commitments to address the European Commission's concerns.

Suspicions over data
A senior EU official was critical of Booking.com and its risk assessment efforts since 2023.

"We feel that what they have done is absolutely substandard," the official said on condition of anonymity.

The commission—the EU's digital watchdog—said it would assess whether the online platform "properly identified" risks linked to the spread of illegal content such as nonexistent properties and fraudsters portraying themselves as the owner of a property and putting it up for rent.

In some cases, customers discover on arrival that the property they thought they had booked does not exist, or more often, photographs or property descriptions do not accurately reflect reality.

The EU will also investigate whether Booking.com is doing enough to address the risks that phishing scams pose to European consumers.

Phishing is broadly defined as the practice of tricking people into sharing sensitive information through deceptive messages.

The EU said it would look at how reservation and guest data is shared with accommodation providers, and whether Booking.com has put in place "sufficient safeguards to prevent data from being misused."

"We suspect that Booking is not sufficiently protecting the data of... private users and business users, and (this) makes the system vulnerable for this kind of phishing," the senior official said.

Meta is also under investigation over potentially fraudulent advertising on its platforms in a probe that began in 2024.

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EU tech regulators will investigate whether online hotel reservation website Booking.com is doing ​enough to weed out fraudulent listings and phishing scams to comply ‌with EU online content rules, the European Commission said on Wednesday.

The Commission, which is the EU tech and competition enforcer, said it opened an investigation following a ​preliminary probe and after analysing risk assessment reports submitted by Booking.com ​this year and the previous three years.

Big online platforms are ⁠required to do more to tackle illegal and harmful content on ​their sites under the bloc's Digital Services Act, or risk fines of as ​much as 6% of their global annual turnover for violations.

Booking.com said it was engaging constructively with the Commission. "Security, trust and the protection of personal information are top priorities ​at Booking.com," a spokesperson for the company said.

"We remain committed to ​working with relevant governments, regulators, law enforcement and industry partners to combat cybercrime and online ‌fraud, ⁠and protect travelers and partners."

The EU investigation will focus on fake listings — such as for non-existent properties — impersonation fraud and non-compliant accommodation offers, and whether Booking.com has properly identified, assessed and mitigated the systemic risks related ​to these.

Regulators will ​also look into ⁠phishing scams exploiting Booking.com's reservation and guest data shared with accommodation providers, the Commission said.

A third element will ​be paid-for boosted listings not clearly identifiable as advertisements. ​Booking.com is ⁠part of Booking Holdings (BKNG.O).

"Europeans should be able to book their holidays without fear of being scammed," EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said in a statement.

"The ⁠Digital Services ​Act sets clear responsibilities on platforms to ​address these risks, and we must ensure that the leading booking platform in Europe takes ​those responsibilities seriously," she said.

TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. increased its stake in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG – Free Report) by 90.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 66,561 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 31,559 shares during the quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc.’s holdings in Booking were worth $10,843,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Booking in the 2nd quarter worth $11,646,302,000. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 37,999,915 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia boosted its position in shares of Booking by 1,497.3% during the 1st quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 870,520 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,665,168,000 after acquiring an additional 816,022 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new position in shares of Booking during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,691,186,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of Booking during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,370,455,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Booking Price Performance NASDAQ:BKNG opened at $163.45 on Monday. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $150.14 and a 52 week high of $220.81. The company has a market capitalization of $122.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.13. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $182.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $177.67.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.43 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $7.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.19 billion. Booking had a negative return on equity of 102.96% and a net margin of 25.53%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $55.40 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Booking Dividend Announcement The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th were issued a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 11th. Booking’s payout ratio is 18.58%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of brokerages recently issued reports on BKNG. Wedbush upped their price objective on shares of Booking from $211.00 to $247.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Booking from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $188.00 target price on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 26th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $270.00 target price on shares of Booking in a report on Monday, August 24th. Finally, Argus increased their price target on shares of Booking from $210.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $233.95.

View Our Latest Report on Booking

Insider Buying and Selling In other Booking news, Director Robert J. Mylod, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of Booking stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $1,000,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 16,000 shares in the company, valued at $3,200,000. This trade represents a 23.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Paulo Pisano sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 $14,935,432. This trade represents 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 84,550 shares of company stock valued at $17,426,864 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

About Booking (Free Report)

Booking Holdings Inc is a global online travel and restaurant-reservation company that connects consumers with travel providers through digital platforms and mobile applications. Its services include accommodations, flights, rental cars, cruises, vacation packages, restaurant reservations and other travel-related offerings.

The company operates a portfolio of well-known brands, including Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, KAYAK, OpenTable, Rentalcars.com and Kayak-associated travel services.

Featured Stories Five stocks we like better than Booking These 3 Green Stocks Have a Growth Story That Goes Far Beyond Washington Meta Claims Frontier-Class AI Status With New Muse Wonder Models Berkshire Just Backed This Little-Known Stock—Should You Chase It? Broadcom’s CEO Sees Years of AI Demand But Warns of a Bigger Threat to the Boom Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BKNG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG – Free Report).

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LONDON, Oct. 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Flight prices to selected destinations from the UK have fallen for Christmas and New Year travel, with average return flights down up to 39% compared to last year, according to travel search engine KAYAK’s Christmas Travel Check-in 2026.

US destinations lead KAYAK’s flight price drop rankings with average returns from the UK to Atlanta down 39% year-on-year, followed by Washington DC (-27%) and Los Angeles (-20%). Select Caribbean fares are also down, including Kingston (-21%) and Montego Bay (-18%).

Which destinations have the biggest flight price drops?

DestinationsAvg. Flight Price 2026Change in Price vs. 2025Atlanta, US£587-39%Washington, D.C., US£514-27%Agadir, Morocco£208-26%Kingston, Jamaica£999-21%Los Angeles, US£543-20%Montego Bay, Jamaica£997-18%Las Vegas, US£659-18%Manila, Philippines£1,092-13%San Francisco, US£603-13%Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia£950-7%
Which short-haul destinations are most affordable?

Closer to home, six short-haul destinations average under £150 for return flights during the festive period. Dublin leads at £127, then Barcelona (£131), Milan (£142), Prague and Madrid (both £143) and Amsterdam (£144).

How do Christmas departure dates affect flight prices?

The data shows 23 December to be the sweet spot for international departures this year, with average return economy fares from the UK around £615 - 36% cheaper than 19 December (£958), the most searched and expensive day to fly over the festive period.

When should you book?

According to KAYAK’s 2025 analyses, the best time to book festive international flights was around six weeks before Christmas, with prices rising 15% in the final week. There’s no guarantee the pattern will repeat this year, but it could give travellers a useful steer on what to watch out for.

For more findings and data methodology, visit KAYAK’s Christmas Travel Check-in 2026.

About KAYAK
KAYAK, part of Booking Holdings (NASDAQ: BKNG), is a leading travel search engine. With billions of queries across our platforms, we help people compare hundreds of options at once - from airlines and hotels to online travel agencies - to find their perfect flight, stay, rental car and vacation package Trusted by millions of travellers, the KAYAK app makes travel planning seamless on iOS and Android, and we also support business travellers with our corporate travel solution.  

Investors often turn to recommendations made by Wall Street analysts before making a Buy, Sell, or Hold decision about a stock. While media reports about rating changes by these brokerage-firm employed (or sell-side) analysts often affect a stock's price, do they really matter?

Let's take a look at what these Wall Street heavyweights have to say about Booking Holdings (BKNG - Free Report) before we discuss the reliability of brokerage recommendations and how to use them to your advantage.

Booking Holdings currently has an average brokerage recommendation (ABR) of 1.56, on a scale of 1 to 5 (Strong Buy to Strong Sell), calculated based on the actual recommendations (Buy, Hold, Sell, etc.) made by 39 brokerage firms. An ABR of 1.56 approximates between Strong Buy and Buy.

Of the 39 recommendations that derive the current ABR, 27 are Strong Buy and two are Buy. Strong Buy and Buy respectively account for 69.2% and 5.1% of all recommendations.

Brokerage Recommendation Trends for BKNG

Check price target & stock forecast for Booking Holdings here>>>

The ABR suggests buying Booking Holdings, but making an investment decision solely on the basis of this information might not be a good idea. According to several studies, brokerage recommendations have little to no success guiding investors to choose stocks with the most potential for price appreciation.

Are you wondering why? The vested interest of brokerage firms in a stock they cover often results in a strong positive bias of their analysts in rating it. Our research shows that for every "Strong Sell" recommendation, brokerage firms assign five "Strong Buy" recommendations.

This means that the interests of these institutions are not always aligned with those of retail investors, giving little insight into the direction of a stock's future price movement. It would therefore be best to use this information to validate your own analysis or a tool that has proven to be highly effective at predicting stock price movements.

Zacks Rank, our proprietary stock rating tool with an impressive externally audited track record, categorizes stocks into five groups, ranging from Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) to Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), and is an effective indicator of a stock's price performance in the near future. Therefore, using the ABR to validate the Zacks Rank could be an efficient way of making a profitable investment decision.

Zacks Rank Should Not Be Confused With ABRIn spite of the fact that Zacks Rank and ABR both appear on a scale from 1 to 5, they are two completely different measures.

The ABR is calculated solely based on brokerage recommendations and is typically displayed with decimals (example: 1.28). In contrast, the Zacks Rank is a quantitative model allowing investors to harness the power of earnings estimate revisions. It is displayed in whole numbers -- 1 to 5.

It has been and continues to be the case that analysts employed by brokerage firms are overly optimistic with their recommendations. Because of their employers' vested interests, these analysts issue more favorable ratings than their research would support, misguiding investors far more often than helping them.

On the other hand, earnings estimate revisions are at the core of the Zacks Rank. And empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements.

Furthermore, the different grades of the Zacks Rank are applied proportionately across all stocks for which brokerage analysts provide earnings estimates for the current year. In other words, at all times, this tool maintains a balance among the five ranks it assigns.

There is also a key difference between the ABR and Zacks Rank when it comes to freshness. When you look at the ABR, it may not be up-to-date. Nonetheless, since brokerage analysts constantly revise their earnings estimates to reflect changing business trends, and their actions get reflected in the Zacks Rank quickly enough, it is always timely in predicting future stock prices.

Is BKNG Worth Investing In?Looking at the earnings estimate revisions for Booking Holdings, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has declined 0.1% over the past month to $10.48.

Analysts' growing pessimism over the company's earnings prospects, as indicated by strong agreement among them in revising EPS estimates lower, could be a legitimate reason for the stock to plunge in the near term.

The size of the recent change in the consensus estimate, along with three other factors related to earnings estimates, has resulted in a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) for Booking Holdings. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>>

Therefore, it could be wise to take the Buy-equivalent ABR for Booking Holdings with a grain of salt.

Booking Holdings (BKNG - Free Report) closed the most recent trading day at $160.68, moving +2.01% from the previous trading session. This move outpaced the S&P 500's daily loss of 1.11%. On the other hand, the Dow registered a loss of 0.09%, and the technology-centric Nasdaq decreased by 1.88%.

The stock of online booking service has fallen by 8.06% in the past month, lagging the Retail-Wholesale sector's gain of 0.5% and the S&P 500's gain of 2.06%.

Investors will be eagerly watching for the performance of Booking Holdings in its upcoming earnings disclosure. The company's earnings report is set to be unveiled on November 3, 2026. On that day, Booking Holdings is projected to report earnings of $4.48 per share, which would represent year-over-year growth of 12.56%. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is projecting net sales of $9.56 billion, up 6.17% from the year-ago period.

For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates project earnings of $10.48 per share and a revenue of $29.26 billion, demonstrating changes of +14.91% and +8.7%, respectively, from the preceding year.

Investors might also notice recent changes to analyst estimates for Booking Holdings. Recent revisions tend to reflect the latest near-term business trends. As a result, upbeat changes in estimates indicate analysts' favorable outlook on the business health and profitability.

Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. To exploit this, we've formed the Zacks Rank, a quantitative model that includes these estimate changes and presents a viable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, spanning from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), boasts an impressive track record of outperformance, audited externally, with #1 ranked stocks yielding an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has witnessed a 0.01% increase. Booking Holdings currently has a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell).

In terms of valuation, Booking Holdings is presently being traded at a Forward P/E ratio of 15.03. This valuation marks a discount compared to its industry average Forward P/E of 15.29.

It's also important to note that BKNG currently trades at a PEG ratio of 0.98. The PEG ratio is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but this metric also takes the company's expected earnings growth rate into account. BKNG's industry had an average PEG ratio of 1.23 as of yesterday's close.

The Internet - Commerce industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 167, putting it in the bottom 33% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank is ordered from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Don't forget to use Zacks.com to keep track of all these stock-moving metrics, and others, in the upcoming trading sessions.

Members of the team at Vayo, a new Booking Holdings startup building AI agents to organize and manage people’s trips. (Vayo Photo)
Booking Holdings is launching a new Seattle-based travel startup called Vayo, led by serial entrepreneur Mike Fridgen, betting that AI agents built for travel can do a better job of planning and managing trips than general-purpose assistants from the likes of OpenAI and Meta.

The travel giant — parent of Booking.com, Priceline, Kayak and OpenTable — says it plans to invest $100 million in the venture, depending on Vayo’s progress and market conditions.

Vayo, which is opening a waitlist for a free private beta Wednesday, offers AI agents that connect to a user’s inbox to pull in flight, hotel and restaurant confirmations. They then monitor the bookings for price drops, openings at sold-out hotels and other changes.

Vayo’s web version showing upcoming trips, assembled from the flight, hotel and restaurant confirmations in the user’s inbox. (Vayo Image)
If a flight is delayed, Vayo flags what that means for the hotel check-in or dinner reservation. It also recommends restaurants and activities based on past trips. Vayo users can make restaurant reservations now, with flight and hotel booking expected in the next few weeks.

The venture is part of a broader effort by Booking Holdings to adapt to the rise of AI agents. Big tech companies and startups are developing general-purpose agents that can plan trips and make bookings, potentially bypassing traditional online travel sites.

The company is pitching Vayo as a personal travel agent “built for trips, not tasks.”

“We are out to build the leading consumer experience in travel — nothing less,” said Fridgen, the company’s CEO and co-founder, who previously led Madrona Venture Labs, the Seattle startup studio, and was CEO of Decide.com, the price-prediction startup acquired by eBay.

Vayo’s website promises neutrality. “Our only agenda is yours,” it says. “Vayo is part of Booking Holdings, but it works for you, not for any one site. If the better room is on the hotel’s own site, or the right stay is on another platform, that’s where Vayo will send you.”

A return to travel: It’s the latest travel venture for Fridgen, who was on the founding team of Expedia’s vacation-package business, co-founded travel startup TripHub, led Alaska Airlines’ digital business and was founding head of product at Farecast, the airfare-prediction startup acquired by Microsoft, after which he led Bing’s travel and shopping search businesses.

Mike Fridgen, now Vayo’s CEO and co-founder, at Madrona’s IA Summit in 2025. (GeekWire File Photo / Todd Bishop)
Vayo’s CTO and co-founder is Allen Chen, who was previously CTO of Fanatics Collectibles and before that a partner in Boston Consulting Group’s AI practice. A serial entrepreneur himself, Chen co-founded two Seattle software startups, CloudPress and DataBlade, which were acquired by News Corp. and BCG, respectively.

The startup’s head of growth is Ian Fliflet, the former chief growth officer at OfferUp, the mobile marketplace for buying and selling used goods locally. Fridgen said Fliflet helped build OfferUp’s growth from the start and was at the top of his list for the role.

Vayo has about 20 employees, all working in person in downtown Seattle, and has been building the product for about six months. The company’s name is pronounced VAY-oh, as in “vacation.”

For Booking Holdings, the new venture marks a return to Seattle, home to its biggest rival, Expedia Group. Booking.com opened a Seattle office in 2012 and moved it to Bellevue the following year, with plans for as many as 350 jobs. It closed the Bellevue office in 2020, amid the pandemic.

A startup inside a giant: Given the team’s entrepreneurial experience, why build inside a travel giant instead of raising venture capital for an independent startup? For one thing, the arrangement gives Vayo access to Booking Holdings’ travel inventory, infrastructure and capital, while letting the team operate like a startup, Fridgen said in an interview.

Vayo has a unique opportunity to succeed with the backing of the world’s largest online travel company in “a very crowded, very noisy category with a lot of competitors,” he said.

Fridgen was already working on a consumer travel idea when his plans lined up with Booking Holdings’ interest in investing in new ventures. “It was really a meeting of the minds,” he said.

In a footnote in its news release, Booking Holdings said the $100 million investment will be “subject to continued advancement of the product and market conditions.” Fridgen said Vayo’s team will share in the value it creates, without giving details on the ownership structure.

Booking Holdings is also backing Lola, a separate AI startup from Kayak co-founders Steve Hafner and Paul English, which launched last month. “It’s a portfolio approach,” Fridgen said, describing Lola as focused on everyday experiences, such as things to do on a weekend at home, while Vayo is “mile-deep in travel scenarios.”

In a statement, Booking Holdings CEO Glenn Fogel described travel as one of the most complex consumer experiences, with too much of the work still falling on travelers to manage.

Fogel said he’s confident in the Vayo team “and their ability to move with purpose, capitalize on early learnings and adapt at pace as they explore what the next generation of personalization in travel can look like.”

How it works: Vayo is initially targeting frequent leisure travelers who plan trips for family and friends, often in Google Docs, Notion or spreadsheets. That group makes up about 5% of travelers but roughly 30% of travel spending, Fridgen said.

In a demo, Fridgen showed how Vayo built his upcoming trips — to Amsterdam, to Philadelphia to visit his son in college, and to Guatemala for the holidays — within about a minute of connecting to his email. The company says Vayo reads only travel confirmations, not the rest of a user’s inbox.

In this demo video, Vayo plans a trip to Japan, landing a hard-to-get dinner reservation, repricing the flights to save $180 and booking a room at a sold-out hotel when one opens up. (Vayo Video)

Vayo also looks for patterns. For example, it noticed that Fridgen travels to Philadelphia every March, during his son’s sports season, and suggested a mountaineering trip after he climbed Mount Rainier with his daughter this summer.

When the fare dropped on one of his Alaska Airlines flights, Vayo automatically captured the difference as a credit and notified him, Fridgen said. For hotels, it currently prompts users to rebook. During the demo, he reserved a restaurant table through OpenTable without leaving Vayo.

Vayo’s mobile view shows a user’s upcoming trips, with five on the books, and prompts them to plan the next one. It also watches the flight for price drops, claiming the difference as a credit when a fare falls. (Vayo Image)

Behind the scenes, Vayo runs numerous AI agents at once, using different models for different jobs. “At any given moment, we have all of these agents working on a user’s behalf,” Chen said. “We are picking the best models that are best suited for those tasks.”

The company has built its own system on top of off-the-shelf AI models, but Chen said the company will probably need its own custom models for some tasks soon.

Vayo connects directly with Booking Holdings brands including Booking.com, Kayak and OpenTable, and has signed a partnership with ticketing platform SeatGeek. Because it pulls travel confirmations from a user’s email, it can also track bookings made anywhere else, including directly with airlines and hotels.

Fridgen said users will be able to book flights and hotels in Vayo in the coming weeks, followed by features for planning trips with travel companions and a native mobile app.

Vayo is free during the private beta. Fridgen said the company hasn’t settled on a business model. A subscription is one possibility as the startup learns which features people are willing to pay for, he said. Fliflet noted that travel also offers traditional revenue from commissions on bookings.

Agents and platforms: Vayo is entering a crowded field of AI travel apps, including trip planners from startups and the big online travel sites. However, Fridgen said he sees general-purpose personal AI agents — such as Meta’s Muse and fast-growing San Francisco startup Instinct — as Vayo’s main competitors.

A growing number of agents have run into resistance from the sites they use. Amazon blocked Meta’s Muse from its store last month, and Resy locked out a user whose Instinct agent repeatedly pinged the site for a table.

Vayo is taking a different approach, relying on APIs and direct partnerships with travel companies, Fridgen said. Those direct relationships make the service more reliable for customers and avoid the risk of being blocked, he said.

Fridgen said Vayo wants to work with companies across the industry, not just Booking Holdings brands. The startup doesn’t have a direct relationship with Expedia, but is open to one, he said. “The only way this can live up to its promise as an orchestrator of your travel life that you’ll trust is if it has all the options,” he said, “and that’s what we’re going for.”

Diversified Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG – Free Report) in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 18,450 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,006,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in BKNG. Professional Advisory Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Booking by 12.5% in the third quarter. Professional Advisory Services Inc. now owns 161,271 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $26,273,000 after purchasing an additional 17,940 shares in the last quarter. Financial Enhancement Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Booking by 1.9% during the third quarter. Financial Enhancement Group LLC now owns 4,596 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $716,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Booking by 12.3% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 31,943 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $5,776,000 after buying an additional 3,506 shares in the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC raised its position in Booking by 29.0% in the 3rd quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 1,783 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $290,000 after buying an additional 401 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Atwood & Palmer Inc. lifted its position in shares of Booking by 1,971.2% during the third quarter. Atwood & Palmer Inc. now owns 2,589 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $422,000 after purchasing an additional 2,464 shares in the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity In other Booking news, Director Vanessa Wittman sold 375 shares of Booking stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $211.00, for a total value of $79,125.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 16,133 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,404,063. The trade was a 2.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Robert J. Mylod, Jr. sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $200,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 14,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,800,000. The trade was a 6.67% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 83,050 shares of company stock valued at $17,182,274. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Booking Stock Performance NASDAQ:BKNG opened at $159.97 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $186.93 and its 200 day moving average is $178.00. The firm has a market cap of $120.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.71, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.13. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 52-week low of $150.14 and a 52-week high of $220.81. Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.43 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $7.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.19 billion. Booking had a negative return on equity of 102.96% and a net margin of 25.53%.The firm’s revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $55.40 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Booking Announces Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 11th were issued a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was 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%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth BKNG has been the topic of several analyst reports. DA Davidson set a $240.00 price target on shares of Booking in a report on Thursday, August 6th. TD Cowen raised Booking to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 14th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed a “reduce” rating and set a $190.00 price target (down from $220.00) on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $230.00 price target on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price objective on Booking from $175.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $235.38.

Read Our Latest Research Report on BKNG

About Booking (Free Report)

Booking Holdings Inc is a global online travel and restaurant reservation company headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut. Through its digital platforms, the company helps consumers search for, compare and reserve accommodations, flights, rental cars, vacation packages, attractions and restaurant reservations.

Its portfolio includes Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, KAYAK, OpenTable, Rentalcars.com and the travel metasearch brands Momondo and Cheapflights. Booking.com is primarily known for lodging reservations, while Priceline focuses on travel deals, Agoda serves customers across international markets with a strong presence in Asia, KAYAK and its related brands provide travel search and comparison services, and OpenTable operates a restaurant reservation platform.

The company was founded in 1997 as Priceline.com and was later renamed The Priceline Group before adopting the Booking Holdings name in 2018.

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Booking Holdings (BKNG - Free Report) closed at $155.87 in the latest trading session, marking a -1.12% move from the prior day. This change lagged the S&P 500's 0.22% loss on the day. At the same time, the Dow lost 0.66%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 0.22%.

Shares of the online booking service witnessed a loss of 12.57% over the previous month, trailing the performance of the Retail-Wholesale sector with its loss of 3.19%, and the S&P 500's gain of 1.4%.

The upcoming earnings release of Booking Holdings will be of great interest to investors. The company's earnings report is expected on November 3, 2026. On that day, Booking Holdings is projected to report earnings of $4.48 per share, which would represent year-over-year growth of 12.56%. Simultaneously, our latest consensus estimate expects the revenue to be $9.56 billion, showing a 6.17% escalation compared to the year-ago quarter.

For the annual period, the Zacks Consensus Estimates anticipate earnings of $10.49 per share and a revenue of $29.26 billion, signifying shifts of +15.02% and +8.7%, respectively, from the last year.

Investors should also pay attention to any latest changes in analyst estimates for Booking Holdings. These revisions help to show the ever-changing nature of near-term business trends. As such, positive estimate revisions reflect analyst optimism about the business and profitability.

Based on our research, we believe these estimate revisions are directly related to near-term stock moves. To exploit this, we've formed the Zacks Rank, a quantitative model that includes these estimate changes and presents a viable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), possesses a remarkable history of outdoing, externally audited, with #1 stocks returning an average annual gain of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.17% higher. Booking Holdings presently features a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

In the context of valuation, Booking Holdings is at present trading with a Forward P/E ratio of 15.03. This valuation marks a premium compared to its industry average Forward P/E of 14.95.

Meanwhile, BKNG's PEG ratio is currently 0.98. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. As of the close of trade yesterday, the Internet - Commerce industry held an average PEG ratio of 1.19.

The Internet - Commerce industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This industry, currently bearing a Zacks Industry Rank of 187, finds itself in the bottom 24% echelons of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank evaluates the power of our distinct industry groups by determining the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks forming the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

To follow BKNG in the coming trading sessions, be sure to utilize Zacks.com.

Building on strong diner demand, the renewed agreement extends the Visa Dining Collection in Mexico and Canada and expands exclusive dining events across North America

, /PRNewswire/ -- OpenTable, a global leader in restaurant technology, and Visa, a world leader in digital payments, today announced a renewed agreement across the U.S., Mexico and Canada. The next phase will broaden the Visa Dining Collection in Mexico and Canada and deliver an expanded events program, giving eligible Visa cardholders more ways to discover and book memorable dining experiences across the three countries.

The Visa Dining Collection Grows Across Canada and Mexico

The Visa Dining Collection will continue as part of a new multi-year agreement in Canada and Mexico, providing eligible Visa cardholders with exclusive access to sought-after restaurant reservations in Mexico City, Monterrey, Los Cabos and Cancun, as well as Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary and surrounding areas.

The participating portfolio includes restaurants from MICHELIN Starred venues to local favorites and beloved culinary destinations. Existing restaurants within the Visa Dining Collection are returning to the program including Mon Lapin and Rôtisserie La Lune in Montreal, LOREA and Pargot in Mexico City and KOLI in Monterrey, with new additions coming soon.

Eligible Visa cardholders in Mexico and Canada will also have access to a new roster of exclusive dining events and experiences featuring renowned chefs and rising culinary stars. Eligible Visa Infinite cardholders world-wide traveling to Mexico or Canada will be able to book held tables and events at participating restaurants through the Visa Dining Collection, while those visiting the U.S. can access and book special events.

"We're excited to enter into a new era of our collaboration with Visa that brings more restaurants to the Visa Dining Collection in Canada and Mexico, and a roster of unmatched experiential dining events you won't be able to find anywhere else," said Robin Chiang, Chief Growth Officer at OpenTable. "To-date, OpenTable and Visa have helped restaurants fill millions of seats, translating to increased revenue potential for restaurants, while creating memorable experiences for diners.

Events Continue in the U.S. Following Strong Demand

In addition to delivering events programming in Mexico and Canada, OpenTable and Visa are expanding their events program in the U.S. through 2029.

The expansion comes following a successful events calendar over the past two years, which saw over 80 bespoke events, the majority of which sold out. This includes Friends in Town, where chefs invited their friends to town to cook one-of-a-kind collaboration dinners, and Off the Clock, an after-hours dining experience inspired by late-night chef rituals. It also reflects a growing demand for dining experiences that go beyond the norm, which diners are seeking out more than ever. This year, 48% of Americans said they are more likely to dine at a restaurant when it's hosting a pop-up, collaboration, or special experience.

To explore the Visa Dining Collection, visit pages for Mexico and Canada. North America events to be announced at a later date via opentable.com/visa-dining-program/events.

*Methodology
An online survey was conducted by WALR among 1527 US respondents, with quotas weighted for major cities. Fieldwork took place between September 3rd – September 9th 2025. Data has been collected adhering to MRS (Market Research Society) and ESOMAR guidelines to ensure ethical and accurate data collection.

About OpenTable
OpenTable, a global leader in restaurant tech and part of Booking Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG), helps more than 70,000 restaurants worldwide fill 2 billion seats a year.  OpenTable's world-class technology empowers restaurants to focus on what matters most – their team, their guests, and their bottom line – while enabling diners to discover and book the perfect restaurant for every occasion.

SOURCE OpenTable, Inc.

Booking Holdings (BKNG - Free Report) closed at $160.26 in the latest trading session, marking a -1.63% move from the prior day. The stock's performance was behind the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.2%. Meanwhile, the Dow experienced a rise of 0.04%, and the technology-dominated Nasdaq saw an increase of 0.04%.

The online booking service's shares have seen a decrease of 18.38% over the last month, not keeping up with the Retail-Wholesale sector's loss of 5.49% and the S&P 500's loss of 0.35%.

Market participants will be closely following the financial results of Booking Holdings in its upcoming release. The company is expected to report EPS of $4.49, up 12.81% from the prior-year quarter. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $9.57 billion, up 6.27% from the year-ago period.

BKNG's full-year Zacks Consensus Estimates are calling for earnings of $10.5 per share and revenue of $29.28 billion. These results would represent year-over-year changes of +15.13% and +8.78%, respectively.

Investors might also notice recent changes to analyst estimates for Booking Holdings. Such recent modifications usually signify the changing landscape of near-term business trends. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the business outlook.

Our research reveals that these estimate alterations are directly linked with the stock price performance in the near future. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model.

The Zacks Rank system, which varies between #1 (Strong Buy) and #5 (Strong Sell), carries an impressive track record of exceeding expectations, confirmed by external audits, with stocks at #1 delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.08% higher. Booking Holdings is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

From a valuation perspective, Booking Holdings is currently exchanging hands at a Forward P/E ratio of 15.51. This represents a premium compared to its industry average Forward P/E of 15.4.

It's also important to note that BKNG currently trades at a PEG ratio of 1.01. The PEG ratio is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but this metric also takes the company's expected earnings growth rate into account. As the market closed yesterday, the Internet - Commerce industry was having an average PEG ratio of 1.18.

The Internet - Commerce industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. Currently, this industry holds a Zacks Industry Rank of 194, positioning it in the bottom 22% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank is ordered from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

To follow BKNG in the coming trading sessions, be sure to utilize Zacks.com.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Lola, the new AI assistant for experiences backed by Booking Holdings (NASDAQ: BKNG), today debuts with a new membership offering that combines personalized recommendations, live availability and pricing, direct booking, preferred rates, and benefits. Lola brings discovery and booking into a single experience for hotels, restaurants, events, and more, while providing access to rates and benefits traditionally reserved for loyalty programs and premium cardholders. Unli.

New research spotlights the impact restaurants have on local economies, communities and diners, and what it takes to help them thrive

, /PRNewswire/ -- For more than 28 years, OpenTable has worked alongside restaurants to help them fill tables, connect with diners, and grow their businesses. Today, the global restaurant tech platform which seats 2 billion diners annually is putting restaurants in the spotlight with the release of its first U.S. Restaurant Impact Report: new research examining the vital role restaurants play in local economies, communities, and everyday life, and the role diners play in supporting the dining ecosystem.

With U.S. dining up 11% year-over-year¹ at OpenTable restaurants, that impact is only growing. Full tables can drive spending and foot traffic for surrounding businesses, support jobs, and create spaces where people celebrate, reconnect and become regulars.

Among the findings:

Dining out has an economic ripple effect: 60% of diners spend money at neighboring businesses before or after their meal, spending an additional $138 on average. This rises to $171 on average for Gen Z and $158 for Millenials.2  Restaurants foster community and connection: 84% of diners say dining locally enhances their personal and social wellbeing, while 88% say restaurants are important to building a sense of community.2 Supporting restaurants goes beyond the check: 47% of diners say understanding the financial impact of a no-show would make them more likely to honor or properly cancel a reservation.2 Restaurant operators estimate a no-show table for two costs $80 on average.3 "Helping restaurants thrive is our number one mission at OpenTable, and this report underscores the often unseen value they bring to local neighborhoods," said Amy Wei, Chief Operations Officer of OpenTable. "We hope these insights celebrate the hard work of hospitality teams and remind diners of the vital role they play in keeping their favorite spots vibrant."

Restaurants Fuel Employment and Local Economies
According to the National Restaurant Association, total restaurant and foodservice sales are expected to reach a record 1.55 trillion this year, a 4.8% increase from 2025. These contributions fuel additional spending across the economy, pushing the sector's total economic impact to $3.7T (roughly 16% of real GDP) and supporting 23M jobs and $1.2T in labor income.4

According to OpenTable data from the past 12 months, diners spend an average of $60 per person on restaurant meals, up 3% year-over-year.¹ They also spend an average of $138 at neighboring businesses before or after their meal.2

Restaurants also create opportunities within their communities. More than half (51%) of restaurant workers say their restaurant hires young people without formal qualifications, 39% employ people with disabilities or neurodivergent people, and 19% employ refugees or recently arrived migrants.3

Restaurants Drive Community and Personal Wellbeing
Diners see their local restaurants as much more than places to eat: 43% describe them as somewhere to reconnect with friends and family, 32% say they are part of their weekly routine, and 31% call them a source of comfort.2

Nearly one in four call their local restaurant their "third place" outside of home and work, rising to 39% of Gen Z.2 And those relationships are felt on both sides of the table: 81% of restaurant workers say they greet regulars by name, while 73% know their usual order.3

"Beyond just a meal, people dine out for a sense of belonging to a place and a story that is not theirs. For the comfort of being seen by strangers. And for the ease of eating without any of the burden of waste or cleaning that comes with cooking for ourselves at home," said Jason Hammel, Chef Owner of Lula Cafe and LouLou in Chicago.

Hospitality Works Both Ways
For restaurants, every reservation informs decisions behind the scenes, from staffing and food preparation to whether another diner can take the table. Yet while two-thirds (67%) of diners recognize that failing to show up can seriously harm a restaurant's business, 28% say they have missed a reservation without cancelling at least once in the past year.2

Restaurant workers say no-shows can mean turning away another booking (56%), absorbing staff costs (51%) and wasting food or stock (49%), underscoring how one empty table can have ripple effects across the business.3

OpenTable is working to make that relationship easier to navigate. Diners can quickly modify or cancel reservations when plans change and even direct message restaurants within the app. Restaurants can use tools including deposits and credit card holds, prepaid Experiences, automated confirmations and reminders, online waitlists and Notify Me to manage demand and minimize no-shows.

For diners, supporting restaurants can be as simple as showing up – or cancelling as soon as plans change. Because when a table is filled, the impact extends far beyond the restaurant, helping the people, businesses and neighborhoods around it thrive.

For expanded results and more findings, the full U.S. Restaurant Impact Report is available at https://www.opentable.com/restaurant-solutions/research/restaurant-impact-report/

Methodologies:

1OpenTable Dining Data: OpenTable looked at seated diners and average spend per person from online reservations for all active restaurants on the OpenTable platform in the US from July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026 and compared it to the same time period in 2024/2025 (July 2, 2024 - July 1, 2025). 

2Diner Consumer Research: An online survey was conducted by Ripple Research among 1501 US general consumers who dine out at restaurants, with major cities weighted at 250. Fieldwork was carried out between July 28, 2026 and August 4, 2026. All data was collected in accordance with MRS (Market Research Society) and ESOMAR guidelines, ensuring ethical standards and robust data quality.

3Restaurant Consumer Research: An online survey was conducted by Ripple Research among 355 US restaurant workers. Fieldwork was carried out between July 28, 2026 and August 4, 2026. All data was collected in accordance with MRS (Market Research Society) and ESOMAR guidelines, ensuring ethical standards and robust data quality.

4National Restaurant Association, State of the Restaurant Industry  2026

About OpenTable
OpenTable, a global leader in restaurant tech and part of Booking Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: BKNG), helps more than 70,000 restaurants worldwide fill 2 billion seats a year. OpenTable's world-class technology empowers restaurants to focus on what matters most – their team, their guests, and their bottom line – while enabling diners to discover and book the perfect restaurant for every occasion.

SOURCE OpenTable, Inc.

QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG – Free Report) by 4,630.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 24,175 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 23,664 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Booking were worth $4,309,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Booking in the second quarter valued at approximately $11,646,302,000. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Booking by 2,674.6% in 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 buying an additional 37,999,915 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new stake in shares of Booking during the second quarter valued at about $1,691,186,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Booking in the second quarter worth about $1,370,455,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Booking by 2,525.5% in the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 6,101,866 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,087,597,000 after buying an additional 5,869,459 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Booking News Roundup Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

Positive Sentiment: BTIG Research reaffirmed its Buy rating and set a $250 price target, implying substantial upside from recent levels. The firm also said investor concerns that AI agents could disrupt Booking’s business are overstated. BTIG thinks AI agent fears with Booking Holdings are overdone Positive Sentiment: Emerald Wealth Partners added Booking Holdings to its portfolio, citing AI-related growth opportunities. The purchase provides an institutional endorsement as the market reassesses Booking’s ability to benefit from AI rather than only face disruption from it. Emerald Wealth Partners Added Booking Holdings as AI Creates New Growth Opportunities Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlighted BKNG as a potentially attractive long-term growth stock, while another recent analyst overview included Booking among consumer-cyclical companies under consideration. These reports may support sentiment, although they provide limited new company-specific financial information. Why Booking Holdings is a Top Growth Stock for the Long-Term Neutral Sentiment: Reports on hotel stocks and analyst commentary on Booking offer broader industry context but do not identify a major new catalyst for BKNG. Best Hotel Stocks To Research Negative Sentiment: Expedia’s partnership with Meta’s Muse AI platform intensified fears that AI-powered travel tools could reduce traffic and pricing power for online travel agencies, contributing to a recent selloff in BKNG. Booking Holdings Stock Drops as Expedia Partners With Meta’s Muse AI Platform Negative Sentiment: Booking’s expected third-quarter revenue growth of only 4% to 6% raises concern that its post-pandemic slowdown may be structural rather than temporary. Despite strong operating margins, BKNG has significantly underperformed the broader market this year. Is Booking’s Slowdown a Pause or Its New Pace? Booking Stock Performance Shares of Booking stock opened at $163.95 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $191.48 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $178.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $123.19 billion, a PE ratio of 18.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.07. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 52-week low of $150.14 and a 52-week high of $225.00. Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG – Get Free Report) last posted 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. Booking had a net margin of 25.53% and a negative return on equity of 102.96%. The firm had revenue of $7.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $55.40 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Booking Dividend Announcement The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 11th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Booking’s payout ratio is currently 18.58%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of research firms recently weighed in on BKNG. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Booking in a report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $215.00 price objective on Booking and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Robert W. Baird set a $230.00 target price on Booking in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $220.00 target price on Booking and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Susquehanna reaffirmed a “positive” rating and issued a $240.00 price target on shares of Booking in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $236.98.

Get Our Latest Analysis on Booking

Insider Buying and Selling at Booking In related news, Director Robert J. Mylod, Jr. sold 1,000 shares of Booking stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $200,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 14,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,800,000. The trade was a 6.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Ewout L. Steenbergen sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $211.03, for a total value of $4,220,600.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 59,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,618,327.82. This trade represents a 25.06% 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. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 83,050 shares of company stock worth $17,182,274. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Booking (Free Report)

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.

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Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. boosted its stake in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG – Free Report) by 2,549.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 88,949 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 85,592 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc.’s holdings in Booking were worth $16,077,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Osbon Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Bard Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in Booking during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Basepoint Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Booking during the 4th quarter worth approximately $62,000. Finally, Jessup Wealth Management Inc bought a new stake in Booking in the 4th quarter valued at $65,000. 92.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Booking 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 Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of research analysts have commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $215.00 price objective on Booking and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $234.00 target price on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Argus upped their price target on shares of Booking from $210.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Mizuho set a $240.00 price target on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Booking from $266.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $236.98. Read Our Latest Report on BKNG

Insider Buying and Selling at Booking In other Booking news, VP Peter J. Millones sold 50,050 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.59, for a total transaction of $10,389,879.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 375,025 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $77,851,439.75. The trade was a 11.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Robert J. Mylod, Jr. sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $200,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 14,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,800,000. This trade represents a 6.67% 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. Insiders sold 83,050 shares of company stock worth $17,182,274 over the last quarter. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Booking Trading Down 5.1% Shares of Booking stock opened at $155.90 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $117.14 billion, a PE ratio of 17.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a 50 day moving average of $192.38 and a 200-day moving average of $179.07. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 1-year low of $150.14 and a 1-year high of $225.00.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 negative return on equity of 102.96% and a net margin of 25.53%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $55.40 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Booking Dividend Announcement The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th will be given a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 11th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.58%.

Booking Profile (Free Report)

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.

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Meta's new AI agent can book a flight or hotel room without ever visiting Expedia, Airbnb, or Booking Holdings, and Wall Street is now asking whether the aggregator business model has a future at all.

Online travel booking stocks are selling off in Wednesday morning trading as the market reprices the aggregator model against Muse, the personal artificial intelligence (AI) agent from Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META | META Price Prediction). Muse can search, compare and complete a booking directly with an airline or a hotel, removing the reason a traveler would pass through an aggregator and the fee that goes with it. Meta Platforms stock is at $751.12, up 2% as the platform whose agent is the source of the threat.

The Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSEARCA:XLY) is down 2% in the same session. The Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ:QQQ) is down 1%. Both are lower, yet the travel names are falling far more sharply, which marks this as a repricing of the middle layer rather than consumer weakness or a broad tech selloff.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) stock is at $260.33, down 7% in Wednesday morning trading. Also declining, Airbnb (NASDAQ:ABNB) stock is at $151.66, down 6% in the same session. Booking Holdings (NASDAQ:BKNG) stock is at $156.02, down 5% on the same thesis.

Why Muse Threatens Booking Fees The concern for online travel booking companies is disintermediation. An agent that can execute a full booking on a traveler’s behalf turns aggregator sites into a step the customer no longer has to visit, and the commission goes with it. Expedia Group carries the heaviest loss of the three, which fits the thesis, since the business closest to pure aggregation has the least to offer a traveler whose agent can go straight to the supplier.

Goldman Sachs warned in a trading desk note that industries built on recurring bills, add-on charges and customer passivity face significant disruption from agents of this kind. The selling has spread beyond travel into financials, insurance and telecom, which is why this reads as a broader re-underwriting of middleman business models rather than a travel-demand story. Expedia, Airbnb and Booking Holdings have posted no company-specific disclosure for Wednesday’s session, so the three are falling on that shared thesis.

Where Airbnb Sits Differently Airbnb owns access to supply that can’t be booked elsewhere, which is the distinction any agent-driven repricing will eventually test. A hotel room can be sourced directly from the hotel. A specific Airbnb listing can’t. Whether that earns Airbnb a different multiple than the aggregators is the question this selloff is really asking.

Booking Holdings and Expedia both operate broad aggregation portfolios spanning hotels, flights, rentals and packages, which is why they are treated as more exposed on the same thesis. Meta Platforms sits on the other side of the trade as the distributor of the agent, priced today as the party that collects the toll rather than the toll itself.

What to Watch Next Traders can watch for whether Wednesday’s losses hold into the close and whether Expedia, Airbnb or Booking Holdings posts a formal response to the Muse thesis. A statement addressing agent traffic, direct booking share or a partnership with an AI platform would be the first signal that management wants to reset the narrative.

The wider spillover into financials, insurance and telecom is the tell that this trade is about middlemen broadly beyond travel. Investors weighing their positions in Expedia, Airbnb or Booking Holdings may want to keep an eye on whether the aggregation multiple compresses further from here, and size their exposure to reflect a business model the market is actively re-underwriting.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

September 23, 2026 1. KB Home Feels the Squeeze. It Won't Be the Last.

Image source: Created by Jester AI.

Turns out, plenty of homebuyers are looking at today's mortgage rates and saying, "Yeah, no thanks." At KB Home (KBH +1.52%), one of America's largest homebuilders, the average buyer's household income was $134,000 last quarter. That's a snapshot of the broader housing market: high rates have raised the bar so high that everyday families are getting screened out. Here's what that means for investors.

The big housing pivot: The builders' golden era is fading fast. For years, owners locked into cheap mortgages refused to sell, so new homes were the only option. Now resale supply is at its highest level in over a decade, and builders are fighting for buyers with price cuts and rate buydowns. That fight is harder with the 30-year mortgage hovering near 7%. The domino effect: KB Home is one of the first large builders to report each quarter. When a builder focused on first-time buyers says conditions worsened over the summer, it suggests more margin pressure is coming across the sector. Big-box retailers like Home Depot (HD +2.74%) and Lowe's Companies (LOW +2.67%) could bear the brunt too, because people won't buy new couches and appliances for homes they haven't bought. 2. AI Agents Rattle Travel Stocks Meta's (META -0.63%) new artificial intelligence (AI) assistant, Muse, shot up to the top spot on Apple's (AAPL +0.23%) free app charts this month. Travel stocks took it personally, with Expedia (EXPE -0.11%), Booking (BKNG -2.55%), TripAdvisor (TRIP -2.84%), and Airbnb (ABNB -3.02%) all falling on Tuesday.

Muse can book flights and hotels, which means it could cut travel sites out of a transaction they've owned for decades. Rivals like Instinct and agentic payment tools from PayPal (PYPL +0.51%) and others are chasing the same toll booth. Meta, a recommendation of Team Hidden Gems and Team Rule Breakers, is up over 10% this week alone.

The toll booth is what's at risk: Bloomberg Intelligence estimates AI agents could siphon 5% to 10% of business from travel, ride-sharing, and delivery firms. That could cost those industries $5 billion in combined revenue. Airbnb and Booking, also recommended by Team Hidden Gems and Team Rule Breakers, fell 3% and 2.6% Tuesday, respectively. Integration could beat elimination: Expedia has already partnered with Muse, and there could be a lesson for every travel platform. AI agents will decide which booking sites get paid. Those who own the inventory and data could win. The ones that just process a booking may not. The number to watch is the take rate, and the slice of each booking a platform eventually keeps.

3. Viking's Obesity Drug Trims 22% Off the Scale

Rule Breakers recommendation Viking Therapeutics (VKTX +35.67%) is chasing the obesity market's next edge: fewer shots for the same result. Its experimental drug VK2735 produced 16% to 19% weight loss after 21 weeks of once-weekly dosing in a mid-stage trial of roughly 180 adults. Placebo patients lost almost nothing. A higher-dose group continued to shed weight through week 33, reaching 21.7% without plateauing. That contrasts with Novo Nordisk (NVO -1.00%) and Eli Lilly (LLY +0.45%), whose drugs often level off. All three stocks were largely unmoved in early trading, though, signaling the market's wait for a bigger trial.

Fewer shots, similar results: Patients who switched to every-other-week or monthly dosing maintained 97% and 90% of their weight loss. That points to a friendlier long-term regimen than today's weekly shots, and side effects stayed manageable as dosing frequency dropped. Viking now plans to test an oral maintenance option, which could allow patients to hold their results without any injections. A rival looks beyond weight loss: Novo, Viking's much larger competitor, is reportedly eyeing hair-loss treatments as part of a broader post-Wegovy diversification push. That underscores how competitive – and creative – the race for dominance has become.

4. IonQ Rallies Nearly 10% on Korea Deal

IonQ (IONQ +0.57%) just signed a multi-year deal with South Korea's SDT. The deal covers its Superion 256 quantum computer and a dedicated manufacturing hub in the industrial city of Gumi. Shares rallied nearly 10% over the past week on the news. That follows a rough stretch: the stock is down almost 24% over 90 days and nearly 46% over the past year. For long-term investors, the SDT deal matters more than the week's bounce. It's evidence IonQ can convert research promise into real commercial revenue, still rare in an industry years from turning a profit.

A hub built for the long haul: Setting up physical manufacturing in Gumi points toward durable, geographically diversified revenue instead of one-off contracts. That's the kind of infrastructure that's hard to unwind if a single customer walks away. Cheap by one measure, not by another: IonQ trades 65% below the average analyst price target. Its price-to-book ratio of 4.9 still tops the broader semiconductor industry. The stock, recommended by both Team Hidden Gems and Team Rule Breakers, isn't cheap so much as it reflects a market that hasn't caught up to the Gumi build-out yet. Team HG has a 5-year price prediction of $79.43; shares trade around $40 today.

5. Karooooo Is Fleet of Foot

Team Hidden Gems

Karooooo (KARO -2.81%), whose cloud software tracks commercial vehicle fleets in real time, let its free cash flow fall about 82% year over year in its latest quarter. Management spent that cash on tracking devices to sign up new customers faster. We recommended the stock again weeks later at $64.69.

That makes for 30 times Team Hidden Gems has recommended Karoooo, starting at $41.58 in October 2024, and now following it about 60% higher. Aggressive spending that spooks the market in the short term and pays off over the years is one of our favorite setups.

Hiding in plain sight: Karooooo runs out of Singapore, reports in South African rand, and trades roughly only 104,000 shares on an average day, so most American investors scroll right past it. Underneath sits a 68% gross margin, a 95% customer retention rate, and a 22% return on invested capital. Owners spending like owners: Its device buildout tanked free cash flow but bought scale in return. Subscribers on Cartrack, its core tracking service, passed 2.8 million, up about 18% year over year, while revenue grew 23%. Founder and CEO Zak Calisto and fellow insiders hold nearly 68% of the company, so nobody has more riding on this buildout. Team Hidden Gems has a 5-year price prediction of $128.44, close to double the $67.53 shares fetch today. A founder who invested in winning long-paying subscribers, with early traction toward that goal, earns our patience.

6. Today's Question! What's the one earnings report you never skip, even if you don't own the stock?

Discuss with friends and family, or become a member to hear what your fellow Fools are saying!

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Engineers Gate Manager LP raised its stake in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG – Free Report) by 1,813.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,199 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 5,875 shares during the period. Engineers Gate Manager LP’s holdings in Booking were worth $1,105,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. J. Stern & Co. LLP lifted its position in Booking by 191,965.8% in the fourth quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 2,832,970 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $15,171,489,000 after purchasing an additional 2,831,495 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Booking during the second quarter valued at about $11,646,302,000. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Booking by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,435,116 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $7,685,520,000 after buying an additional 6,976 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia grew its holdings in Booking by 1,497.3% during the first quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 870,520 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,665,168,000 after acquiring an additional 816,022 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in Booking during the fourth quarter worth about $3,271,041,000. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Booking Stock Down 1.5% Shares of NASDAQ:BKNG opened at $167.90 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $193.27 and a two-hundred day moving average of $179.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $126.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.07. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $150.14 and a 12-month high of $225.00.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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 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 the consensus estimate of $7.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $55.40 earnings per share. Booking’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Booking Dividend Announcement The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders 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 yield of 1.0%. Booking’s payout ratio is 18.58%.

Insiders Place Their Bets In related news, Director Robert Mylod, Jr. sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $200,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 14,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,800,000. This represents a 6.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Paulo Pisano sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.02, for a total transaction of $259,530.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 71,900 shares in the company, valued at $12,440,138. The trade was a 2.04% 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 83,050 shares of company stock worth $17,182,274 in the last 90 days. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on BKNG shares. Wedbush upped their price target on shares of Booking from $211.00 to $247.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Argus lifted their price objective on shares of Booking from $210.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $215.00 target price (up from $195.00) on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Booking from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 target price (up from $240.00) on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Booking presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $236.98.

View Our Latest Stock Report on BKNG

About Booking (Free Report)

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.

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LONDRES, 18 sept. 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Séville est la destination la plus prisée des voyageurs français qui prévoient un séjour en septembre et octobre, selon de nouvelles données de KAYAK.fr, alors que les tarifs hors saison stimulent l’intérêt pour des escapades en début d’automne.

Le prix moyen d’un vol aller-retour en classe économique au départ de la France s’établit à 233 € en septembre et en octobre, contre 345 € en juillet et en août, soit une baisse de 32 %. Le prix moyen des hôtels recule également de 14 %.

Les destinations de « mi‑saison » qui connaissent la plus forte croissance, selon l’augmentation des recherches de vols pour des voyages en septembre et en octobre par rapport à juillet et août, sont les suivantes :

Séville : +165 %Munich : +120 %Malé : +118 %Venise : +101 %Tachkent : +100 %New York : +100 %Lille : +91 %Amsterdam : +86 %Strasbourg : +85 %Victoria, Seychelles : +85 %
La baisse des tarifs aériens pourrait expliquer cet engouement. Chacune des 10 destinations les plus tendances affiche un coût de vol inférieur à ce qu’il était en été. C’est pour Malé que la baisse est la plus marquée : le prix moyen d’un aller-retour a chuté de 32 % pour s’établir à 701 €. Les tarifs pour New York et Strasbourg affichent tous deux une baisse de 29 % et atteignent respectivement 505 € et 108 €, suivis par Victoria (-26 % à 744 €), Venise (-22 % à 116 €) et Lille (-20 % à 107 €).

Séville, la destination dont la popularité connaît la progression la plus rapide, affiche un tarif aller-retour moyen de 164 €, soit 10 % de moins qu’en été, tandis que Munich enregistre une baisse de 1 % pour s’établir à 237 € en moyenne.

Des économies sont également notables sur les tarifs hôteliers autour de la Méditerranée. Les tarifs moyens par nuit à Monastir, en Tunisie, ont chuté de 62 % pour s’établir à 82 €. Salou suit avec 89 € (-51 %), devant Agadir à 78 € (-43 %), Lloret de Mar à 83 € (-40 %) et Ciutadella de Menorca à 132 € (-38 %).

Opter pour des dates flexibles peut permettre de réaliser des économies supplémentaires. Selon les analyses de KAYAK, le 27 octobre est la date de départ la moins chère pour les vols internationaux au départ de la France, avec un tarif moyen de 176 €, soit 37 % de moins que la moyenne observée à la mi‑saison. Pour les séjours à l’étranger, les tarifs hôteliers sont les plus bas pour une arrivée aux alentours du 29 septembre, avec un tarif moyen de 103 € par nuit.

À propos de KAYAK
KAYAK, qui fait partie du groupe Booking Holdings (NASDAQ : BKNG), est l’un des principaux moteurs de recherche de voyages au monde. Grâce aux milliards de recherches effectuées sur ses plateformes, KAYAK aide les voyageurs à trouver les vols, hébergements, voitures de location et séjours correspondant le mieux à leurs besoins. Utilisée par des millions de personnes à travers le monde, l’application KAYAK simplifie l’organisation des voyages sur iOS comme sur Android. KAYAK accompagne également les déplacements professionnels grâce à sa solution dédiée, KAYAK for Business.

Booking Holdings (BKNG - Free Report) has recently been on Zacks.com's list of the most searched stocks. Therefore, you might want to consider some of the key factors that could influence the stock's performance in the near future.

Shares of this online booking service have returned -19.5% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -2.9% change. The Zacks Internet - Commerce industry, to which Booking Holdings belongs, has lost 7.4% over this period. Now the key question is: Where could the stock be headed in the near term?

Although media reports or rumors about a significant change in a company's business prospects usually cause its stock to trend and lead to an immediate price change, there are always certain fundamental factors that ultimately drive the buy-and-hold decision.

Revisions to Earnings EstimatesRather than focusing on anything else, we at Zacks prioritize evaluating the change in a company's earnings projection. This is because we believe the fair value for its stock is determined by the present value of its future stream of earnings.

We essentially look at how sell-side analysts covering the stock are revising their earnings estimates to reflect the impact of the latest business trends. And if earnings estimates go up for a company, the fair value for its stock goes up. A higher fair value than the current market price drives investors' interest in buying the stock, leading to its price moving higher. This is why empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements.

Booking Holdings is expected to post earnings of $4.49 per share for the current quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +12.8%. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate has changed +0.4%.

For the current fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of $10.5 points to a change of +15.1% from the prior year. Over the last 30 days, this estimate has changed +0.1%.

For the next fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of $12.41 indicates a change of +18.2% from what Booking Holdings is expected to report a year ago. Over the past month, the estimate has remained unchanged.

Having a strong externally audited track record, our proprietary stock rating tool, the Zacks Rank, offers a more conclusive picture of a stock's price direction in the near term, since it effectively harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions. Due to the size of the recent change in the consensus estimate, along with three other factors related to earnings estimates, Booking Holdings is rated Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

The chart below shows the evolution of the company's forward 12-month consensus EPS estimate:

12 Month EPS

Projected Revenue GrowthWhile earnings growth is arguably the most superior indicator of a company's financial health, nothing happens as such if a business isn't able to grow its revenues. After all, it's nearly impossible for a company to increase its earnings for an extended period without increasing its revenues. So, it's important to know a company's potential revenue growth.

For Booking Holdings, the consensus sales estimate for the current quarter of $9.57 billion indicates a year-over-year change of +6.3%. For the current and next fiscal years, $29.28 billion and $31.94 billion estimates indicate +8.8% and +9.1% changes, respectively.

Last Reported Results and Surprise HistoryBooking Holdings reported revenues of $7.35 billion in the last reported quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +8.1%. EPS of $2.54 for the same period compares with $2.22 a year ago.

Compared to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $7.19 billion, the reported revenues represent a surprise of +2.26%. The EPS surprise was +3.67%.

The company beat consensus EPS estimates in each of the trailing four quarters. The company topped consensus revenue estimates each time over this period.

ValuationWithout considering a stock's valuation, no investment decision can be efficient. In predicting a stock's future price performance, it's crucial to determine whether its current price correctly reflects the intrinsic value of the underlying business and the company's growth prospects.

While comparing the current values of a company's valuation multiples, such as price-to-earnings (P/E), price-to-sales (P/S), and price-to-cash flow (P/CF), with its own historical values helps determine whether its stock is fairly valued, overvalued, or undervalued, comparing the company relative to its peers on these parameters gives a good sense of the reasonability of the stock's price.

The Zacks Value Style Score (part of the Zacks Style Scores system), which pays close attention to both traditional and unconventional valuation metrics to grade stocks from A to F (an A is better than a B; a B is better than a C; and so on), is pretty helpful in identifying whether a stock is overvalued, rightly valued, or temporarily undervalued.

Booking Holdings is graded C on this front, indicating that it is trading at par with its peers. Click here to see the values of some of the valuation metrics that have driven this grade.

Bottom LineThe facts discussed here and much other information on Zacks.com might help determine whether or not it's worthwhile paying attention to the market buzz about Booking Holdings. However, its Zacks Rank #3 does suggest that it may perform in line with the broader market in the near term.

In the latest close session, Booking Holdings (BKNG - Free Report) was down 2.31% at $171.30. The stock fell short of the S&P 500, which registered a loss of 0.45% for the day. At the same time, the Dow lost 0.63%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 0.78%.

Shares of the online booking service have depreciated by 14.36% over the course of the past month, underperforming the Retail-Wholesale sector's loss of 5.39%, and the S&P 500's loss of 1.99%.

The investment community will be paying close attention to the earnings performance of Booking Holdings in its upcoming release. The company is expected to report EPS of $4.49, up 12.81% from the prior-year quarter. Meanwhile, the latest consensus estimate predicts the revenue to be $9.57 billion, indicating a 6.27% increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year.

Regarding the entire year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates forecast earnings of $10.51 per share and revenue of $29.28 billion, indicating changes of +15.24% and +8.77%, respectively, compared to the previous year.

Investors should also take note of any recent adjustments to analyst estimates for Booking Holdings. Such recent modifications usually signify the changing landscape of near-term business trends. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the business outlook.

Our research reveals that these estimate alterations are directly linked with the stock price performance in the near future. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model.

The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.12% higher within the past month. Booking Holdings presently features a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

Digging into valuation, Booking Holdings currently has a Forward P/E ratio of 16.69. For comparison, its industry has an average Forward P/E of 16.74, which means Booking Holdings is trading at a discount to the group.

It's also important to note that BKNG currently trades at a PEG ratio of 1.08. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. As of the close of trade yesterday, the Internet - Commerce industry held an average PEG ratio of 1.21.

The Internet - Commerce industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. At present, this industry carries a Zacks Industry Rank of 159, placing it within the bottom 36% of over 250 industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our individual industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Be sure to use Zacks.com to monitor all these stock-influencing metrics, and more, throughout the forthcoming trading sessions.

3 Stocks Whose Charts May Be Signaling the Next Big MoveBooking NASDAQ: BKNG CEO and Director Glenn Fogel outlined the online travel company’s priorities around artificial intelligence, its Connected Trip strategy, loyalty programs, alternative accommodations and business-to-business operations during a Global TMT Conference discussion.

Get Booking alerts:

Fogel said the company sees AI as a tool to make travel planning, booking and disruption management more personalized and automated. He described AI as a “prediction machine” that could eventually identify and resolve potential travel problems before a customer knows they may occur.

Why Analysts Are Bullish on a Stock That's Down 20%“We need to make it so it is easier to come up with the initial planning,” Fogel said. “Then easier to actually do all the actual bookings, reservation, get all that set up. Then when stuff falls apart, which it will, weather, mechanical, stuff happens… you want to have a system that will fix it immediately.”

AI and the Connected Trip Fogel used an example involving a traveler in Amsterdam who had scheduled a canal tour on a rainy day and a museum visit on a sunny day. In his vision, Booking’s technology could proactively suggest switching the reservations based on weather forecasts, while handling the required changes for the traveler.

Trip.com’s Selloff Raises a Bigger Question About Its Travel Recovery StoryHe also said the company should use customer history to improve trip discovery. Fogel cited a recent family trip to Zurich, where he said Booking could have inferred an interest in swimming from prior stays near lakes and alerted the family to a nearby public swimming area.

While Fogel said the company is “not there yet” in delivering that level of personalized assistance, he said it is progressing through experiments across its brands, including Booking.com, Priceline and Agoda.

He highlighted Priceline’s revamped AI assistant, Penny, saying the product has generated favorable customer-satisfaction scores, engagement, conversion and other metrics, though he cautioned that results are from a small sample. Booking is also pursuing separate AI-native initiatives, including one led by KAYAK founder Steve Hafner, according to Fogel.

“Being the size that we are enables us to do a lot more experimentation,” he said. “That will then bring us back knowledge, information that we can then share: what’s working really well, what’s a disaster, don’t touch that one.”

Genius Loyalty and Partner Economics Fogel said the Connected Trip strategy is linked with Booking’s Genius loyalty program, which the company is revamping. The company aims to create a flywheel in which increased usage gives Booking more information about travelers, allowing it to provide more relevant offers and improved service.

He said more than 30% of active customers are Genius Level 2 or Level 3 members and described the program as a way to provide greater benefits to its most loyal users. However, he said the company must balance expanding loyalty benefits with maintaining the program’s value for hotel and other supply partners.

Fogel noted that hotels may be willing to offer lower rates or participate in programs such as Genius when Booking delivers incremental demand. A hotel room left vacant produces no revenue, while filling an otherwise empty room can have a meaningful impact on profitability, he said.

“I want to provide it for both sides of this marketplace,” Fogel said, referring to travelers and partners including hotels, airlines, rental-car providers, attractions and insurers.

U.S. Alternative Accommodations and Asia In the U.S., Fogel said Booking needs to increase both supply and consumer awareness for alternative accommodations, particularly vacation homes. He contrasted Booking’s strong European brand awareness with lower recognition in the U.S. for finding homes in destinations such as Southampton, New York.

He said the company needs more inventory before it can effectively market the offering, describing the effort as a gradual process rather than one with a “magic bullet.” Fogel acknowledged supply disruption following difficulties at professionally managed accommodation companies including Vacasa and Sonder, but said Booking is working to rebuild inventory.

“Rome not built in a day, neither will our ability to get to where I want to be in the America home business,” he said. “But we are on the right path, and it is growing.”

Fogel also expressed optimism about Agoda’s position across Asia. He said Agoda benefits from localized offerings tailored to individual markets, including Korea, Japan, Vietnam and India, while Booking contributes global scale and breadth. He said the region’s demographics remain favorable for long-term travel demand.

B2B Consolidation and Competitive Position Booking plans to bring together previously separate B2B operations at Agoda, Priceline and Booking under one leader, with the combined organization formally going live Jan. 1. Fogel said the consolidation should reduce duplication, improve efficiency and allow the company to provide a more unified offering to clients.

He called the B2B operation a “sizable business” but did not provide financial details.

Addressing competitive risks from AI-enabled search engines and social-media platforms, Fogel said travelers have always had multiple ways to discover travel options. He argued that Booking’s advantage lies in execution, trust, accurate live inventory and relationships with partners rather than exclusive access to data.

Fogel said AI has already helped the company reduce customer-service costs while improving customer-satisfaction scores. He expects automation to handle more disputes and service issues over time, while human agents use AI tools to address more complex cases.

On margins and technology investment, Fogel said management is not targeting a specific margin level. Instead, he said the company evaluates whether its free cash flow can be deployed toward organic growth, acquisitions or, if suitable opportunities are unavailable, returned to shareholders.

About Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG)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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected].

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