Traders Buy High Volume of TripAdvisor Put Options (NASDAQ:TRIP)

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ:TRIP) saw some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Stock investors purchased 20,102 put options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 386% compared to the typical daily volume of 4,134 put options.

TripAdvisor Stock Up 4.2%

TripAdvisor stock opened at $12.41 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $10.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $12.01. TripAdvisor has a fifty-two week low of $9.01 and a fifty-two week high of $20.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 124.11, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.25.

TripAdvisor (NASDAQ:TRIP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The travel company reported ($0.11) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.03) by ($0.08). TripAdvisor had a return on equity of 5.73% and a net margin of 0.99%.The firm had revenue of $382.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $384.69 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.14 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that TripAdvisor will post 0.69 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Almir Ambeskovic sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.30, for a total value of $98,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 34,396 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $423,070.80. This trade represents a 18.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 3.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of TripAdvisor

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of TRIP. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in TripAdvisor by 295.2% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 2,300 shares of the travel company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 1,718 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in TripAdvisor during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its holdings in TripAdvisor by 192.5% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 2,767 shares of the travel company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 1,821 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in TripAdvisor by 39.7% during the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,482 shares of the travel company’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 705 shares during the period. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its holdings in TripAdvisor by 308.1% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,077 shares of the travel company’s stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 3,078 shares during the period. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

TRIP has been the topic of several recent research reports. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of TripAdvisor from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Wedbush initiated coverage on shares of TripAdvisor in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $19.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of TripAdvisor from $25.00 to $22.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Zacks Research lowered shares of TripAdvisor from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of TripAdvisor in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $14.76.

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.