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Booking Holdings Inc.: Q3 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q3 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 3 November 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 6 new. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Gross bookings grew double digits: Gross bookings grew 10% year over year, or about 11% in constant currency, to $54.5 billion. Room nights grew 7% to 345 million. Source
  • Reported revenue fell on FTC matter: Total revenues declined 1% to $8.9 billion, reflecting the $900 million FTC-related reduction. Adjusted revenue grew 9% to $9.8 billion, or about 10% in constant currency. Source
  • Adjusted EPS grew faster than GAAP EPS: Adjusted EPS rose 17% to $4.66, while GAAP diluted EPS rose 7% to $3.61. GAAP net income declined 1% to $2.7 billion, and adjusted net income grew 8% to $3.5 billion. Source
  • Demand moderated late in quarter: Management said global travel demand moderated somewhat toward the end of the third quarter, reflecting softer international travel, while domestic travel remained resilient. Source
  • Middle East conflict assumed to persist: Guidance assumes both the direct and indirect impacts of the Middle East conflict on travel persist through the end of the year, including disruptions to travel to and from the region. Source
  • Buybacks slowed, dividend declared: The company repurchased $2.1 billion of common stock in the quarter, against $3.7 billion in the prior quarter. Board declared a $0.42 per share dividend payable December 31, 2026. Source
  • AI integration across brands: Management said it continues to integrate AI across its brands, develop AI-native experiences, and collaborate with leading AI platforms as AI changes how travel is discovered and booked. Source

“We are pleased with our third-quarter operating performance, as resilient travel demand and disciplined execution by our teams drove double-digit gross bookings growth, margin expansion, and 17% adjusted earnings per share growth”

Glenn Fogel, Chief Executive Officer of Booking Holdings

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Room nights growth SourceQ4 20261% - 3%New
Gross bookings growth SourceQ4 20262% - 4%New
Constant currency gross bookings growth SourceQ4 20264% - 6%New
Adjusted revenue growth SourceQ4 20260% - 2%New
Constant currency adjusted revenue growth SourceQ4 20262% - 4%New
Adjusted EBITDA growth SourceQ4 2026About FlatNew

What changed from last quarter

  • New guidance: Q4 2026 and full year 2026 guidance was issued in this release, replacing the Q3 2026 and full year 2026 guidance given in the prior quarter's release. Source
  • New: Stock repurchases were $2.1 billion in the quarter, against $3.7 billion in the prior quarter, with remaining authorization of $12.4 billion, down from $14.5 billion. Source
  • New: The company recorded a $900 million revenue reduction and a $100 million loss accrual related to an FTC matter, excluded from adjusted measures. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Gross bookings grew double digits: Gross bookings grew 10% year over year, or about 11% in constant currency, to $54.5 billion. Room nights grew 7% to 345 million. Source
  • Reported revenue fell on FTC matter: Total revenues declined 1% to $8.9 billion, reflecting the $900 million FTC-related reduction. Adjusted revenue grew 9% to $9.8 billion, or about 10% in constant currency. Source
  • Adjusted EPS grew faster than GAAP EPS: Adjusted EPS rose 17% to $4.66, while GAAP diluted EPS rose 7% to $3.61. GAAP net income declined 1% to $2.7 billion, and adjusted net income grew 8% to $3.5 billion. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA rose 9%: Adjusted EBITDA grew 9% to $4.6 billion, with an adjusted EBITDA margin of 47.0%, unchanged from the prior-year quarter. Source

Segments and regions

  • Accommodation room nights grew 7%: Alternative accommodation room nights at Booking.com increased 7%. Constant currency average daily rates increased about 3%. Source
  • Demand moderated late in quarter: Management said global travel demand moderated somewhat toward the end of the third quarter, reflecting softer international travel, while domestic travel remained resilient. Source

“As AI transforms the ways to discover, plan, and book travel, we continue to make progress integrating AI across our brands”

Glenn Fogel, Chief Executive Officer of Booking Holdings

Products and customers

  • Flight tickets grew 19%: Flight tickets were 21 million, up 19.4% year over year, after growth of 3.7% in the prior quarter. Rental car days were 23 million, down 0.7%. Source
  • Direct channel mix held steady: Over the trailing four quarters, the mix of room nights booked through the direct channel was a mid-fifties percentage, similar to last year. Source

Costs, margins and pricing

  • Operating expenses fell 1%: Total operating expenses decreased 1% to $5.5 billion. Adjusted fixed operating expenses grew 6%, including a slight reduction in personnel costs. Source
  • Marketing rose as share of bookings: Marketing expense was 4.8% of gross bookings, up from 4.7% in Q3 2025. B2C marketing leverage improved versus the prior-year quarter. Source
  • Net income margin rose slightly: Net income margin was 30.6%, against 30.5% in Q3 2025. Adjusted net income margin was 35.8%, against 36.0%. Source

Demand and the Middle East

  • Middle East conflict assumed to persist: Guidance assumes both the direct and indirect impacts of the Middle East conflict on travel persist through the end of the year, including disruptions to travel to and from the region. Source
  • October demand affected by external factors: In October, external factors affected demand, including disruptions to Middle East travel, elevated airfares from the conflict's indirect effects, and localized unrest in certain European cities. Source

Capital and shareholder returns

  • Free cash flow fell 22% in quarter: Free cash flow was $1.1 billion, down 22% from $1.4 billion. Year-to-date free cash flow was $7.8 billion, up 2%. Source
  • Buybacks slowed, dividend declared: The company repurchased $2.1 billion of common stock in the quarter, against $3.7 billion in the prior quarter. Board declared a $0.42 per share dividend payable December 31, 2026. Source

Strategy and AI investment

  • AI integration across brands: Management said it continues to integrate AI across its brands, develop AI-native experiences, and collaborate with leading AI platforms as AI changes how travel is discovered and booked. Source
  • Transformation costs declined: Transformation costs were $23 million in the quarter, against $105 million a year earlier. Year-to-date transformation costs were $78 million, against $175 million. Source

Leadership commentary

  • CEO on quarter's drivers: Glenn Fogel, CEO, attributed the quarter to resilient travel demand and disciplined execution, and said geopolitical and macroeconomic uncertainty may affect near-term travel trends. Source

Coming up, as management said on 3 November 2026

  • Dividend payment date: The $0.42 per share dividend is payable December 31, 2026 to holders of record at the close of business on December 11, 2026. Source

Risks management discussed

  • External: Management cited the Middle East conflict, including disruptions to travel to and from the region, elevated airfares, and localized unrest in certain European cities as factors affecting near-term demand. Source
  • Demand: Global travel demand moderated somewhat toward the end of the third quarter, with softer international travel trends. Source
  • External: Management noted geopolitical and macroeconomic uncertainty may affect near-term travel trends. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: Guidance for adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EPS excludes certain costs expected from the Transformation Program. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.