TripAdvisor Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NASDAQ:TRIP)

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ:TRIP) was the target of some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Traders purchased 16,298 put options on the stock. This is an increase of 106% compared to the typical volume of 7,904 put options.

TripAdvisor Trading Down 0.2%

TRIP stock traded down $0.01 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $9.51. The company had a trading volume of 834,354 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,606,181. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.56. The company has a market capitalization of $1.11 billion, a PE ratio of 953.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.67 and a beta of 0.86. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $12.65 and a 200 day moving average of $11.39. TripAdvisor has a 12 month low of $9.01 and a 12 month high of $20.16.

TripAdvisor (NASDAQ:TRIP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The travel company reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.38 by ($0.03). TripAdvisor had a net margin of 0.28% and a return on equity of 4.23%. The company had revenue of $385.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $506.27 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.46 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that TripAdvisor will post 0.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On TripAdvisor

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Essex Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of TripAdvisor by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 17,864 shares of the travel company’s stock worth $260,000 after buying an additional 776 shares during the period. Acorn Financial Advisory Services Inc. ADV grew its position in shares of TripAdvisor by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Acorn Financial Advisory Services Inc. ADV now owns 64,053 shares of the travel company’s stock worth $933,000 after buying an additional 847 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in shares of TripAdvisor by 13.0% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 9,812 shares of the travel company’s stock valued at $143,000 after buying an additional 1,126 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund increased its stake in shares of TripAdvisor by 2.0% during the first quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 61,011 shares of the travel company’s stock valued at $650,000 after buying an additional 1,216 shares during the period. Finally, Creative Planning increased its stake in shares of TripAdvisor by 6.2% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 28,408 shares of the travel company’s stock valued at $462,000 after buying an additional 1,669 shares during the period. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on TRIP. UBS Group cut their target price on TripAdvisor from $15.00 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. BTIG Research downgraded TripAdvisor from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Wedbush lifted their price objective on shares of TripAdvisor from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of TripAdvisor from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, B. Riley Financial reduced their target price on shares of TripAdvisor from $13.00 to $12.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, TripAdvisor has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $14.12.

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.