Trip.com Group Limited (NASDAQ:TCOM) Short Interest Up 44.8% in September

Trip.com Group Limited (NASDAQ:TCOM) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totalling 15,550,000 shares, an increase of 44.8% from the September 15th total of 10,740,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 4,870,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.2 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on TCOM shares. Macquarie upgraded Trip.com Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Hsbc Global Res cut Trip.com Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $72.00 price target on shares of Trip.com Group in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. HSBC cut Trip.com Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on Trip.com Group from $66.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $64.63.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of TCOM. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in Trip.com Group by 1,188.0% in the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,069 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 986 shares during the last quarter. Hilltop National Bank increased its holdings in shares of Trip.com Group by 322.1% during the 2nd quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 1,148 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 876 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Trip.com Group by 72.3% during the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 1,165 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 489 shares during the last quarter. Clarity Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Trip.com Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $66,000. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank bought a new stake in Trip.com Group during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $66,000. 35.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trip.com Group Stock Down 2.1 %

Trip.com Group stock traded down $1.39 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $63.64. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,824,810 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,119,347. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $50.10 and its 200 day moving average is $49.71. The company has a market cap of $40.99 billion, a PE ratio of 28.67 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.32. Trip.com Group has a 52-week low of $31.55 and a 52-week high of $69.67.

Trip.com Group (NASDAQ:TCOM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 26th. The company reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.22. The firm had revenue of $1.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. Trip.com Group had a return on equity of 11.52% and a net margin of 28.78%. On average, analysts anticipate that Trip.com Group will post 2.93 earnings per share for the current year.

About Trip.com Group

Trip.com Group Limited, through its subsidiaries, operates as a travel service provider for accommodation reservation, transportation ticketing, packaged tours and in-destination, corporate travel management, and other travel-related services in China and internationally. The company acts as an agent for hotel-related transactions and selling air tickets, as well as provides train, long-distance bus, and ferry tickets; travel insurance products, such as flight delay, air accident, and baggage loss coverage; and air-ticket delivery, online check-in and seat selection, express security screening, real-time flight status tracker, and airport VIP lounge services.