TripAdvisor Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NASDAQ:TRIP)

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ:TRIP) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Friday. Traders bought 20,102 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of 386% compared to the typical volume of 4,134 put options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on TRIP shares. Wedbush assumed coverage on shares of TripAdvisor in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $19.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of TripAdvisor from $12.00 to $11.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 8th. B. Riley Financial reduced their target price on shares of TripAdvisor from $18.00 to $13.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of TripAdvisor from $25.00 to $22.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald set a $10.00 target price on shares of TripAdvisor and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, TripAdvisor currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $14.76.

TripAdvisor Stock Performance

Shares of TripAdvisor stock traded up $0.50 during trading on Friday, hitting $12.41. 7,660,956 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,634,884. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.25. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $10.88 and a 200-day simple moving average of $12.01. TripAdvisor has a 52-week low of $9.01 and a 52-week high of $20.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 124.11, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.90.

TripAdvisor (NASDAQ:TRIP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The travel company reported ($0.11) earnings per share (EPS) 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 business had revenue of $382.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $384.69 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.14 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that TripAdvisor will post 0.69 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at TripAdvisor

In other news, CEO Almir Ambeskovic sold 8,000 shares of TripAdvisor stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.30, for a total transaction of $98,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 34,396 shares in the company, valued at approximately $423,070.80. The trade was a 18.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 3.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in TripAdvisor by 295.2% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 2,300 shares of the travel company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 1,718 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in TripAdvisor in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its holdings in TripAdvisor by 192.5% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 2,767 shares of the travel company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 1,821 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in TripAdvisor by 39.7% in the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,482 shares of the travel company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 705 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its holdings in TripAdvisor by 308.1% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,077 shares of the travel company’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 3,078 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

TripAdvisor Company Profile

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.