Investors Purchase Large Volume of TripAdvisor Put Options (NASDAQ:TRIP)

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ:TRIP) saw unusually large options trading on Thursday. Stock traders purchased 43,688 put options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 1,252% compared to the average daily volume of 3,231 put options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $20.00 price objective on shares of TripAdvisor in a report on Friday, November 7th. Zacks Research raised shares of TripAdvisor from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. B. Riley decreased their price objective on shares of TripAdvisor from $21.00 to $18.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 10th. Mizuho set a $17.00 target price on TripAdvisor and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on TripAdvisor from $14.00 to $13.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $16.34.

TripAdvisor Trading Up 3.2%

TripAdvisor stock opened at $13.42 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.99. TripAdvisor has a 1 year low of $10.43 and a 1 year high of $20.16. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $14.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $15.94. 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 (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 company had revenue of $553.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $562.92 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.50 earnings per share. TripAdvisor’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that TripAdvisor will post 0.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Comerica Bank grew its stake in TripAdvisor by 65.6% during the 4th quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 135,517 shares of the travel company’s stock valued at $1,973,000 after acquiring an additional 53,697 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of TripAdvisor by 8,368.2% during the fourth quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 20,239 shares of the travel company’s stock worth $295,000 after purchasing an additional 20,000 shares during the period. 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 purchasing an additional 721,957 shares in the last quarter. U S Global Investors Inc. increased its stake in TripAdvisor by 18.9% in the 4th quarter. U S Global Investors Inc. now owns 1,037,854 shares of the travel company’s stock valued at $15,111,000 after buying an additional 164,985 shares during the period. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH lifted its position in TripAdvisor by 121.3% in the 4th quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 151,864 shares of the travel company’s stock worth $2,223,000 after buying an additional 83,242 shares in the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.