TripAdvisor Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NASDAQ:TRIP)

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ:TRIP) was the target of some unusual options trading on Monday. Investors bought 10,403 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 61% compared to the average volume of 6,455 call options.

TripAdvisor Stock Performance

TRIP traded up $0.07 on Monday, hitting $14.22. 1,113,402 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,582,364. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $13.04 and a two-hundred day moving average of $11.74. TripAdvisor has a twelve month low of $9.01 and a twelve month high of $20.16. The firm has a market cap of $1.66 billion, a PE ratio of 142.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.86.

TripAdvisor (NASDAQ:TRIP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The travel company reported ($0.11) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.03) by ($0.08). The company had revenue of $382.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $384.69 million. TripAdvisor had a net margin of 0.99% and a return on equity of 5.73%. The business’s revenue was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.14 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that TripAdvisor will post 0.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at TripAdvisor

In related news, CEO Almir Ambeskovic sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.30, for a total transaction of $98,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 34,396 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $423,070.80. The trade was a 18.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal 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 2.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of TripAdvisor

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in TRIP. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. acquired a new position in shares of TripAdvisor during the third quarter worth approximately $26,848,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in TripAdvisor by 24.2% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 7,416,019 shares of the travel company’s stock worth $120,585,000 after buying an additional 1,445,607 shares in the last quarter. Converium Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in TripAdvisor in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $11,460,000. Nuveen LLC increased its position in TripAdvisor by 40.1% in the 4th quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 3,355,310 shares of the travel company’s stock valued at $48,853,000 after acquiring an additional 961,121 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in TripAdvisor by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,567,936 shares of the travel company’s stock valued at $182,989,000 after acquiring an additional 721,957 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on TRIP shares. Wedbush lifted their price target on shares of TripAdvisor from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of TripAdvisor in a research report on Friday, May 15th. BTIG Research downgraded TripAdvisor from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on TripAdvisor from $12.00 to $11.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $16.00 price target on shares of TripAdvisor in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $14.86.

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.