TripAdvisor (NASDAQ:TRIP) Stock Price Up 6.3% - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• TripAdvisor shares rose 6.3% on Friday, trading as high as $14.24, though volume was well below average at about 1.36 million shares.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: the stock has a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $15.19, while recent actions included a Bank of America upgrade to Buy and UBS cutting its target to $13.70.
• TripAdvisor’s latest earnings missed expectations, posting a $0.11 loss per share versus a smaller expected loss and revenue of $382.4 million, down 4% year over year.

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ:TRIP - Get Free Report)'s stock price shot up 6.3% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $14.24 and last traded at $14.1650. Approximately 1,359,249 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 63% from the average session volume of 3,694,123 shares. The stock had previously closed at $13.33.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on TRIP shares. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of TripAdvisor in a report on Monday, June 15th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of TripAdvisor from $16.00 to $13.70 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 27th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d)" rating on shares of TripAdvisor in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Bank of America upgraded TripAdvisor from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $14.00 to $15.00 in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Finally, DA Davidson boosted their price target on TripAdvisor from $10.50 to $15.50 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, TripAdvisor has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $15.19.

TripAdvisor Stock Performance

The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $11.74 and its 200 day simple moving average is $11.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 139.86, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.25.

TripAdvisor (NASDAQ:TRIP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The travel company reported ($0.11) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $384.69 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.14 EPS. The firm's revenue was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that TripAdvisor, Inc. will post 0.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other TripAdvisor news, CEO Almir Ambeskovic sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.30, for a total transaction of $98,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 34,396 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $423,070.80. This trade represents a 18.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 2.00% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On TripAdvisor

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of TRIP. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. acquired a new stake in TripAdvisor in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,848,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position 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 valued at $120,585,000 after buying an additional 1,445,607 shares in the last quarter. Converium Capital Inc. purchased a new position in shares of TripAdvisor during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $11,460,000. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in shares of TripAdvisor by 1,712.3% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 1,107,995 shares of the travel company's stock valued at $16,132,000 after buying an additional 1,046,858 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP grew its stake in TripAdvisor by 78.5% in the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 2,210,903 shares of the travel company's stock valued at $35,949,000 after acquiring an additional 972,369 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.99% 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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