TripAdvisor Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NASDAQ:TRIP)

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ:TRIP) saw unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Stock investors bought 43,688 put options on the company. This is an increase of 1,252% compared to the average volume of 3,231 put options.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On TripAdvisor

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC increased its position in TripAdvisor by 75.7% during the third quarter. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 1,523 shares of the travel company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 656 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd grew its position in shares of TripAdvisor by 64.8% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,770 shares of the travel company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 696 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of TripAdvisor by 39.7% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,482 shares of the travel company’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 705 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position in TripAdvisor by 308.1% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,077 shares of the travel company’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 3,078 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC purchased a new stake in TripAdvisor in the 3rd quarter valued at $58,000. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

TripAdvisor Price Performance

Shares of TRIP opened at $13.29 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $1.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.77, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.99. TripAdvisor has a fifty-two week low of $10.43 and a fifty-two week high of $20.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $14.38 and its 200 day moving average price is $15.91.

TripAdvisor (NASDAQ:TRIP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The travel company reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $553.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $562.92 million. TripAdvisor had a net margin of 4.23% and a return on equity of 14.77%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.50 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that TripAdvisor will post 0.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on TRIP. Mizuho set a $17.00 price target on shares of TripAdvisor and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, November 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $20.00 target price on shares of TripAdvisor in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Barclays decreased their price target on TripAdvisor from $14.00 to $13.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 7th. B. Riley cut their price objective on TripAdvisor from $21.00 to $18.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of TripAdvisor from $13.00 to $12.50 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, TripAdvisor currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $16.34.

About TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor (NASDAQ:TRIP) is a leading online travel company that operates a digital platform for travel information, reviews and booking services. The company’s flagship website and mobile apps allow users to access and contribute travel-related content—ranging from hotel and restaurant reviews to ratings for tours, attractions and vacation rentals—helping consumers plan and book trips around the world.

The core of TripAdvisor’s offering is its community-driven review system, which aggregates user-generated feedback alongside editorial content and professional photography.