Airbnb Posts 19% Revenue Growth in Q3 2026, Announces $12 Billion Buyback and Raises Full-Year Outlook

Airbnb reported third-quarter 2026 revenue of $4.9 billion, a 19% year-over-year increase that marked the company's fastest revenue growth in more than three years, beating Wall Street estimates and triggering a surge of roughly 11% in the stock on Friday. Gross booking value climbed 21% while nights and seats booked rose 16%, both accelerating from prior periods. Net income for the quarter reached $1.9 billion and adjusted EBITDA came in at $2.5 billion.

Along with the results, Airbnb announced a new $12 billion share repurchase program and a $1.0 billion credit facility. For the fourth quarter, the company guided revenue to a range of $3.22 billion to $3.28 billion, above the analyst consensus, and raised its full-year outlook to high-teens revenue growth with an adjusted EBITDA margin of approximately 36%.

CEO Brian Chesky said artificial intelligence is already cutting customer support costs by more than 17%, and the company plans to develop its own AI agent. Chesky dismissed existing third-party AI agents such as Muse and Instinct as a minimal competitive threat, noting they have accounted for little traffic and few bookings to date.

Multiple Wall Street firms raised their price targets in response, with Evercore ISI moving to $230, Canaccord lifting to $225, and Goldman Sachs, Mizuho, and Cantor Fitzgerald also increasing their targets. Airbnb was the top-performing component of both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 on the day, hitting a 52-week high and bringing its year-to-date gain to 39.3%. Rival online travel platforms Booking Holdings and Expedia each fell roughly 2% as Airbnb's acceleration contrasted with broader industry caution.