New York, Feb 18, 2026, 18:53 EST — After-hours
- Booking Holdings shares climbed roughly 3% in late trading, following fourth-quarter results that beat estimates.
- The company is projecting adjusted earnings growth in the mid-teens range for 2026, while for this quarter, it expects gross bookings to climb between 14% and 16%.
- The company is planning a 25-for-1 stock split in April and will also lift its quarterly dividend.
Shares of Booking Holdings Inc (BKNG) climbed roughly 3% to $4,269.99 in after-hours trading Wednesday, with the stock adding to earlier gains as the online travel company delivered stronger-than-expected profits.
Investors have piled into travel stocks looking for growth, and Booking’s early 2026 outlook stands out as one of the clearest signals from the large online agencies. That comes as markets are on alert for hints of softening demand, following a robust stretch for global travel.
Booking credited steady demand for international travel with pushing its fourth-quarter adjusted profit past Wall Street forecasts. Adjusted earnings landed at $48.80 per share, topping the $48.47 consensus from LSEG. Revenue came in at $6.35 billion, beating the $6.13 billion estimate. Gross bookings climbed 16% to $43 billion, outpacing expectations for the online travel giant.
The Kayak parent projects first-quarter gross bookings will climb 14% to 16%, with adjusted earnings for all of 2026 tracking in the mid-teens.
“Travel demand remains resilient,” Chief Executive Glenn Fogel told analysts, as the company laid out its intention to keep spending and pursue savings tied to its transformation program. The Motley Fool
Booking’s board has cleared a 25-for-1 stock split, set to take effect April 2. The company also bumped its quarterly cash dividend by 9.4%, bringing it up to $10.50 a share. A split like this adjusts the share count and the price per share, but leaves the company’s total market value unchanged.
Booking pointed to ongoing cost and product initiatives it’s targeting for this year, citing expected savings from its transformation program as well as broader adoption of generative AI for customer service.
Travel stocks tracked the market’s direction Wednesday. Expedia finished up 1.7%. Trip.com’s U.S.-listed shares picked up 0.9% for the day.
Yet it’s hardly a sure thing. If consumers pull back, currency gains evaporate, or online travel faces deeper discounting, Booking could see its take-rates and marketing efficiency pressured—just as the company ramps up spending.
Thursday brings focus on whether that after-hours surge sticks, and how investors handle Booking’s first-quarter guidance. The spotlight soon turns to the logistics of the stock split, with shares set to start trading on a post-split basis April 6.
