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Today's Exclusive Article Booking Holdings Split: The Catalyst Wall Street Didn't See ComingAuthored by Chris Markoch. Article Published: 2/19/2026. 
Key Points - Booking Holdings announced a 25-for-1 stock split following double-digit revenue and EPS growth in Q4 2025.
- Investors remain concerned that Alphabet’s AI-powered travel tools could bypass traditional booking platforms.
- Despite the sell-off, analysts and institutions still see meaningful upside supported by strong bookings growth and valuation discounts.
- Special Report: [Sponsorship-Ad-6-Format3]
Let's not bury the lead. Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: BKNG) announced a 25-for-1 stock split effective April 2. Stock splits don't change a company's intrinsic value, but BKNG trades for more than $3,900 per share — a significant barrier for many retail investors. The split removes much of that friction and may attract stronger retail interest. The stock split was disclosed as part of Booking's Q4 2025 earnings report. The company beat on both the top and bottom lines, reporting earnings per share (EPS) of $48.80 on revenue of $6.35 billion — increases of 17% and 16% year over year, respectively. Room nights rose 9% year over year, and gross bookings climbed 16% to $43 billion. Not a Single "Mag 7" on This Legendary Investors List
A renowned former hedge fund manager – friends to some of the biggest investors in the world – just released a new list of his favorite AI stocks... and not a single Magnificent 7 name made the cut. Instead, an AI stock you've likely never heard of just flagged as "near-perfect" in his new investing scoring system. For the name, ticker and demo, click here. Booking also delivered solid guidance for the current quarter, projecting revenue growth of 14% to 16% and adjusted EBITDA growth of 10% to 14%. On a constant-currency basis, revenue is expected to grow 7% to 9%, below the 11% recorded in the recent quarter. A Strong Quarter Isn't Enough to Shake AI Fears Despite the upbeat results, BKNG shares fell 8.69% at the market open on Feb. 19, the day after the report. That pullback reversed what had looked like a recovery from a bearish trend that began in July 2025. The stock is down 26.5% in 2026 and is trading near its 52-week low. Part of the decline reflects worries about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on Booking's business. Some analysts fear Booking could face AI-driven disintermediation — that is, large tech firms leading in agentic AI might build products that bypass intermediaries like Booking. In late 2025, for example, Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOGL) rolled out a major update to its AI Search/Travel Mode that enables AI agents to book trips within the Google ecosystem. Another concern is the effect on Booking's marketing costs; the company has been increasing spending on sponsored links to maintain online visibility. Booking's Real Moat: Data, Loyalty, and Friction-Free Booking The counterargument is that Booking can leverage AI to strengthen its existing business model. The company has decades of consumer behavioral data, electronic connectivity with millions of accommodations, and a broad payments network — assets that together create a frictionless experience travelers have grown accustomed to. Competing offerings, including those from Google, will likely need to give consumers a clear reason to switch. If the experience is essentially the same on a different platform, consumers are unlikely to change unless the alternative is materially cheaper — which seems doubtful. Booking also benefits from substantial goodwill, and the quarter's results suggest the company is deploying that capital effectively. Wall Street Lowers Targets But Hasn't Given Up on BKNG Analyst forecasts on MarketBeat show Wall Street moving quickly to update opinions on BKNG. Many price targets have been lowered and now sit below the Street's consensus, which is roughly $6,000. That consensus price remains more than 50% above the stock's level at the time of writing, leaving substantial upside potential in the short term. Institutional ownership, which had been net-selling by dollar volume for much of last year, showed signs of reversing in the most recent quarter: buying volume of about $28 billion eclipsed selling by nearly a 3:1 ratio. The strong report, combined with the split announcement, could prompt additional buying in 2026. That brings us back to the split itself. A Long-Overdue Stock Split—But Timing Is Everything Booking has been one of the market's priciest names. This isn't primarily a valuation story: at roughly 20x next year's earnings, BKNG trades at a discount to its historical multiples and slightly below the S&P 500. The issue is the per-share price. Even after a decline of more than 25% this year, a single share still trades above $3,900. Many investors are reluctant to buy one high-priced share, and some avoid fractional shares altogether. Many analysts had long considered a split overdue. Because Booking announced during a period of weakness, the short-term reaction may be muted — by contrast, some companies, like Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT), have timed split announcements when their shares were nearer 52-week highs.
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