Booking Holdings BKNG is slated to report its second-quarter 2026 results on Aug. 4.
For the second quarter of 2026, the company expects total revenue growth of 4% to 6%, and constant-currency revenue growth of 2% to 4% year over year.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $7.19 billion, suggesting growth of 5.76% from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure.
The consensus mark for earnings is pegged at $2.46 per share, indicating growth of 10.81% from the year-ago quarter’s reported number. The consensus mark has decreased by a cent in the past 30 days.
Booking Holdings Inc. Price and EPS Surprise
Booking Holdings Inc. price-eps-surprise | Booking Holdings Inc. Quote
BKNG’s earnings beat estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, with an average beat of 4.31%.
Let’s see how things have shaped up for the upcoming announcement.
Key Factors to Note Ahead of BKNG’s Q2 Results
Booking Holdings continues to deepen customer engagement through its “Connected Trip” strategy, encouraging travelers to book multiple travel services within a single ecosystem. During the first quarter, connected transactions grew in the high teens year over year and represented a low double-digit percentage of Booking.com's total transactions, while management highlighted growing adoption across flights, rental cars and packages. This broader ecosystem increases cross-selling opportunities, improves customer retention and raises average booking value. Consequently, its Connected Trip strategy is likely to have enhanced customer monetization and supported a richer revenue mix in the second quarter of 2026.
Booking Holdings' targeted investments in the United States and Asia continued to generate encouraging momentum entering the second quarter. The company stated that U.S. room-night growth accelerated for the fourth consecutive quarter to the low teens, supported by strong domestic demand and double-digit growth in the direct channel. Meanwhile, Asia delivered high-single-digit room-night growth, with low-double-digit intra-region travel, aided by localized products, payment capabilities and distribution partnerships. These geographic growth drivers are expected to have benefited booking volumes and revenue performance during the quarter under review.
Booking Holdings is increasingly leveraging generative AI and its Genius loyalty program to improve customer experience, personalization and operating efficiency. The company expanded AI-powered search, discovery and customer-service capabilities across Booking.com, Priceline and OpenTable while also reporting lower customer-service costs through AI automation. At the same time, higher-tier Genius members accounted for a high-50% share of room nights over the trailing four quarters, reflecting stronger loyalty and repeat bookings. Together, these initiatives are anticipated to have boosted customer engagement, conversion rates and profitability during the second quarter of 2026.
Yet, management projected a notable moderation in second-quarter growth, highlighting the impact of ongoing geopolitical challenges. The company guided for 2%-4% room-night growth, 4%-6% reported gross bookings growth, 4%-6% revenue growth and 4%-6% adjusted EBITDA growth — all well below the first-quarter growth rates of 6%, 15%, 16% and 19%, respectively. The weaker outlook reflects cautious travel demand assumptions rather than execution issues. Consequently, this softer growth trajectory is likely to have weighed on financial performance during the quarter under review.
The ongoing conflict in the Middle East remained Booking Holdings' biggest near-term headwind entering the second quarter. BKNG expects the direct and indirect impact to continue, affecting inbound, outbound and intra-region travel while also disrupting major transit corridors between Europe and Asia. The company incorporated these assumptions into its second-quarter outlook, reflecting softer travel demand and elevated uncertainty. As a result, the geopolitical disruption is expected to have negatively impacted booking volumes, gross bookings and revenue performance in the quarter to be reported.
What Our Model Says for BKNG Stock
Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for Booking Holdings this time. Per the Zacks model, the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. However, this is not the case here, as you can see below.
Booking Holdings currently has an Earnings ESP of -1.74% and a Zacks Rank #3. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.
Stocks to Consider
Here are some stocks worth considering, as our model shows that they have the right combination of elements to beat on earnings this season.
Sweetgreen SG currently has an Earnings ESP of +11.54% and carries a Zacks Rank #2. SG shares have returned 4.6% in the past six-month period. SG is set to report its second-quarter 2026 results on Aug. 6. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Groupon Inc. GRPN has an Earnings ESP of +4.00% and a Zacks Rank #3 at present. GRPN shares have surged 92.3% in the past six-month period. GRPN is set to report its second-quarter 2026 results on Aug. 6.
Portillo's Inc. PTLO presently has an Earnings ESP of +3.85% and a Zacks Rank #3. PTLO shares have declined 15.8% in the past six-month period. PTLO is slated to report its second-quarter 2026 results on Aug. 5.
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Booking Holdings Inc. (BKNG): Free Stock Analysis Report
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).