Stock Traders Purchase High Volume of Call Options on TripAdvisor (NASDAQ:TRIP)

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ:TRIP) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Traders acquired 6,479 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 91% compared to the typical daily volume of 3,391 call options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on TRIP. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on TripAdvisor from $13.00 to $12.50 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of TripAdvisor from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 1st. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of TripAdvisor from $14.00 to $13.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $20.00 price objective on shares of TripAdvisor in a report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of TripAdvisor in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, TripAdvisor presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $16.25.

TripAdvisor Stock Up 3.7%

Shares of NASDAQ TRIP traded up $0.51 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $14.28. 696,263 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,928,653. The company’s fifty day moving average is $15.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $16.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 1.33. TripAdvisor has a fifty-two week low of $10.43 and a fifty-two week high of $20.16. The stock has a market cap of $1.67 billion, a PE ratio of 22.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 1.01.

TripAdvisor (NASDAQ:TRIP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The travel company reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.07. TripAdvisor had a return on equity of 14.77% and a net margin of 4.23%.The firm had revenue of $553.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $562.92 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.50 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that TripAdvisor will post 0.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On TripAdvisor

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. New York State Teachers Retirement System lifted its position in shares of TripAdvisor by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 130,686 shares of the travel company’s stock worth $2,125,000 after purchasing an additional 624 shares during the last quarter. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC grew its stake in shares of TripAdvisor by 75.7% in the third quarter. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 1,523 shares of the travel company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 656 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in TripAdvisor by 4.3% during the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 15,998 shares of the travel company’s stock worth $260,000 after acquiring an additional 663 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in TripAdvisor by 64.8% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,770 shares of the travel company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 696 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in TripAdvisor by 39.7% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,482 shares of the travel company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 705 shares during the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.