Norwalk, Connecticut, April 28, 2026, 17:02 EDT
- Booking Holdings trimmed its 2026 revenue-growth forecast to the high single digits from a low double-digit target, blaming continued weak travel demand tied to the Middle East conflict.
- The company is projecting second-quarter revenue to rise just 4% to 6%, sharply missing Wall Street’s consensus of 11%.
- The stock slid after hours following the warning, despite first-quarter profit and revenue coming in at or above what analysts had expected.
Booking Holdings slashed its full-year forecast Tuesday, cautioning that the Middle East conflict will drag on travel demand through June—a move that pushed shares lower in after-hours trading. The company, which owns Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, and Kayak, now projects 2026 revenue to climb at a high-single-digit percentage rate, dialing back its previous low-double-digit growth target.
The cut has real weight now—Booking’s miss isn’t just a one-off. Investors have been watching for clues that global travel could withstand pricier fuel, flight interruptions, and a shakier consumer mood. But the company pointed out the conflict is still shifting travel flows: inbound and outbound trips in the Middle East, travel within the region, and key routes connecting Europe and Asia are all being reshaped.
Booking is projecting second-quarter revenue to rise between 4% and 6%. That outlook lands under Wall Street’s 11% consensus for the quarter wrapping up June 30, according to Bloomberg.
The stock finished regular trading on Nasdaq at $173.38, down 2.33%. After hours, shares slipped further—MarketScreener put them at $167.00 as of 5:02 p.m. EDT, off another 3.68%.
Still, the warning followed a pretty strong start to the year. Booking logged a 6% jump in room nights, hitting 338 million. Gross bookings came in at $53.8 billion, up 15%, and revenue was $5.5 billion—a 16% increase. For context, gross bookings covers the full value of customer travel reservations, taxes and fees included, subtracting out any cancellations.
Net income climbed to $1.08 billion, or $1.36 per diluted share, up sharply from $333 million, or 40 cents per share, a year ago. Adjusted earnings landed at $1.14 a share, beating the $1.08 average analyst estimate from FactSet. Revenue hit $5.53 billion, a touch higher than the $5.52 billion forecast, according to Dow Jones.
Chief Executive Glenn Fogel called it a “solid start” to 2026—even with Middle East headwinds. Gross bookings and revenue climbed, he said, and key metrics outpaced what they’d expected. He pointed to strategic growth areas, “particularly in the U.S.,” as standout performers. SEC
Even so, Booking’s forecast comes with less leeway this time. The company is working off the assumption that both the direct and indirect fallout from the conflict will drag on until the end of June, with bookings bouncing back in the second half. Management flagged potential trouble from wider inflation, jet-fuel price swings, airline capacity reductions, and softer traveler sentiment—though those tougher-to-quantify risks aren’t built into the official outlook.
Other names in the sector felt the impact too. Booking’s guidance rattled shares of Expedia and Airbnb in after-hours action, according to Seeking Alpha. Over at Hilton, Reuters noted the company bumped up its 2026 room-revenue outlook, though it pointed to ongoing pressure from Middle East conflicts after softer demand trimmed occupancy in the region during the first quarter.
Booking wrapped up a 25-for-1 stock split back on April 2 and bought back $3.6 billion in shares during the first quarter, bringing its remaining buyback authorization to $18.2 billion. The company’s board set a quarterly dividend at 42 cents per share, payable on June 30 for shareholders registered by June 5.
