TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ:TRIP) Shares Purchased by Wittenberg Investment Management Inc.

Key Points

• Wittenberg Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in TripAdvisor by 80.0% during the first quarter, now owning approximately 126,000 shares valued at $1.785 million.
• TripAdvisor reported a quarterly EPS of $0.14, exceeding estimates, with a revenue of $398 million for the quarter, reflecting a 0.8% increase year-over-year.
• As of now, 98.99% of TripAdvisor's stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds, showcasing strong institutional interest in the company.

Wittenberg Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ:TRIP - Free Report) by 80.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 126,000 shares of the travel company's stock after purchasing an additional 56,000 shares during the period. TripAdvisor makes up about 0.8% of Wittenberg Investment Management Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Wittenberg Investment Management Inc. owned about 0.09% of TripAdvisor worth $1,785,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. LPL Financial LLC lifted its stake in TripAdvisor by 8.7% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 12,511 shares of the travel company's stock worth $185,000 after acquiring an additional 997 shares during the last quarter. First Hawaiian Bank lifted its position in shares of TripAdvisor by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 35,684 shares of the travel company's stock worth $506,000 after purchasing an additional 1,013 shares during the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd lifted its position in shares of TripAdvisor by 83.8% during the 4th quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 3,414 shares of the travel company's stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 1,557 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System increased its holdings in TripAdvisor by 5.2% in the first quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 32,655 shares of the travel company's stock valued at $463,000 after buying an additional 1,623 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in TripAdvisor by 11.1% in the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 17,386 shares of the travel company's stock valued at $246,000 after buying an additional 1,737 shares in the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

TripAdvisor Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of TRIP stock opened at $16.48 on Thursday. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $15.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $14.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.88, a current ratio of 1.90 and a quick ratio of 1.90. TripAdvisor, Inc. has a 1-year low of $10.43 and a 1-year high of $18.66. The firm has a market cap of $2.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.54, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.30.

TripAdvisor (NASDAQ:TRIP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The travel company reported $0.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.05 by $0.09. TripAdvisor had a net margin of 2.94% and a return on equity of 10.68%. The firm had revenue of $398.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $386.94 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.12 earnings per share. TripAdvisor's revenue for the quarter was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that TripAdvisor, Inc. will post 0.46 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at TripAdvisor

In other TripAdvisor news, CEO Almir Ambeskovic sold 16,643 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.33, for a total transaction of $255,137.19. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 15,931 shares in the company, valued at $244,222.23. The trade was a 51.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 3.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on TRIP shares. Mizuho upgraded TripAdvisor to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 18th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of TripAdvisor in a research note on Monday, July 14th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $19.00 price target on the stock. DA Davidson set a $16.25 price objective on TripAdvisor in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on TripAdvisor from $16.00 to $18.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of TripAdvisor from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, June 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, TripAdvisor presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $17.56.

TripAdvisor Profile

TripAdvisor, Inc operates as an online travel company, primarily engages in the provision of travel guidance products and services worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Brand Tripadvisor, Viator, and TheFork. The Brand Tripadvisor segment offers travel guidance platforms for travelers to discover, generate, and share authentic user-generated content in the form of ratings and reviews for destinations, points-of-interest, experiences, accommodations, restaurants, and cruises.

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