K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc Boosts Stock Holdings in TripAdvisor, Inc. $TRIP

Key Points

• K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc increased its TripAdvisor stake by 316.7% in the first quarter, buying an additional 95,000 shares and bringing its total to 125,000 shares worth about $1.33 million.
• TripAdvisor’s latest quarterly results missed analyst expectations, with EPS of ($0.11) versus an expected ($0.03) and revenue of $382.4 million slightly below forecasts.
• Wall Street sentiment remains mixed: the stock has a Hold consensus rating, while CEO Almir Ambeskovic recently sold 8,000 shares in a pre-arranged trading plan and several analysts have recently lowered price targets.

K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc lifted its position in TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ:TRIP - Free Report) by 316.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 125,000 shares of the travel company's stock after purchasing an additional 95,000 shares during the period. K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc owned about 0.11% of TripAdvisor worth $1,332,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in TRIP. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in TripAdvisor by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,567,936 shares of the travel company's stock valued at $182,989,000 after buying an additional 721,957 shares during the period. Starboard Value LP raised its position in shares of TripAdvisor by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Starboard Value LP now owns 9,644,996 shares of the travel company's stock worth $140,431,000 after acquiring an additional 134,512 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake in shares of TripAdvisor by 24.2% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 7,416,019 shares of the travel company's stock worth $120,585,000 after acquiring an additional 1,445,607 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of TripAdvisor by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,762,943 shares of the travel company's stock worth $54,790,000 after acquiring an additional 216,862 shares in the last quarter. Finally, River Road Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of TripAdvisor by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 3,448,718 shares of the travel company's stock valued at $50,213,000 after acquiring an additional 56,159 shares during the period. 98.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

TripAdvisor Stock Performance

Shares of TRIP stock opened at $14.29 on Friday. TripAdvisor, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $9.01 and a fifty-two week high of $20.16. 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 stock's fifty day moving average is $11.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $11.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 142.91, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.86.

TripAdvisor (NASDAQ:TRIP - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The travel company reported ($0.11) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.03) by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $382.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $384.69 million. TripAdvisor had a return on equity of 5.73% and a net margin of 0.99%.TripAdvisor's quarterly revenue was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.14 EPS. Research analysts expect that TripAdvisor, Inc. will post 0.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

TRIP has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on TripAdvisor from $12.00 to $11.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Barclays lowered their price target on TripAdvisor from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d)" rating on shares of TripAdvisor in a research report on Friday, May 15th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of TripAdvisor in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Finally, Bank of America raised TripAdvisor from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $14.00 to $15.00 in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $15.19.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Almir Ambeskovic sold 8,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 34,396 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $423,070.80. This represents a 18.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, 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.

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.

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