TripAdvisor Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NASDAQ:TRIP)

Key Points

• TripAdvisor experienced a significant surge in call options trading, with a 154% increase to 10,312 options compared to its average daily volume.
• Institutional investors have increased their holdings in TripAdvisor, with nearly 99% of the stock owned by these entities.
• Analysts have recently upgraded TripAdvisor's ratings, with Wall Street Zen changing it from "buy" to "strong-buy," alongside various price target adjustments from different brokerages.

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ:TRIP - Get Free Report) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Investors purchased 10,312 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 154% compared to the average daily volume of 4,056 call options.

TripAdvisor Trading Down 1.6%

NASDAQ TRIP traded down $0.31 during trading on Friday, reaching $18.83. 6,548,233 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,129,789. The firm has a market cap of $2.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.27. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $17.56 and its 200 day moving average price is $15.13. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. TripAdvisor has a fifty-two week low of $10.43 and a fifty-two week high of $20.16.

TripAdvisor (NASDAQ:TRIP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The travel company reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.43 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $529.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $529.91 million. TripAdvisor had a net margin of 3.53% and a return on equity of 12.40%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.39 earnings per share. TripAdvisor has set its Q3 2025 guidance at EPS. FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Analysts predict that TripAdvisor will post 0.46 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on TRIP shares. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of TripAdvisor in a report on Sunday, August 10th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of TripAdvisor from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, September 13th. B. Riley raised their price objective on shares of TripAdvisor from $17.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of TripAdvisor in a research report on Monday, July 14th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $19.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of TripAdvisor from $16.00 to $19.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, August 18th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, TripAdvisor has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $17.36.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Tsfg LLC acquired a new position in TripAdvisor during the first quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in TripAdvisor by 86.9% in the first quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 3,055 shares of the travel company's stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 1,420 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in TripAdvisor by 308.1% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,077 shares of the travel company's stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 3,078 shares in the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in TripAdvisor by 419.8% in the first quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 3,893 shares of the travel company's stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 3,144 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in TripAdvisor by 376.9% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 5,127 shares of the travel company's stock valued at $67,000 after buying an additional 4,052 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.99% of the company's stock.

About TripAdvisor

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.