On Wednesday, CLSA maintained its positive stance on Trip.com Group Limited (NASDAQ:TCOM), reaffirming an Outperform rating with a steady price target of $77.00.
The endorsement follows Trip.com's third-quarter earnings for 2024, which surpassed expectations. The company saw a 15.6% year-over-year increase in total revenue, reaching 15.9 billion yuan, while adjusted EBIT rose by 23.7% to 5.5 billion yuan, exceeding estimates by 6%.
Trip.com's performance was bolstered by a resilient Chinese travel market, where the company continued to increase its market share. Notably, its domestic hotel business maintained a growth of approximately 15% year-over-year, and its outbound travel segment expanded by 40% year-over-year. Additionally, Trip.com's international presence strengthened, with its app becoming the most downloaded in several Asia-Pacific regions, contributing to a 60% year-over-year growth.
Looking ahead, CLSA anticipates that Trip.com's total revenue growth could accelerate to 19% year-over-year in the fourth quarter of 2024. Despite plans to ramp up brand promotion for Trip.com, which might result in flat year-over-year adjusted EBIT, the firm suggests that earnings risk is tilted to the upside and could align with revenue growth.
The outlook for 2025 remains optimistic, with expected sustained revenue growth at 16% year-over-year. In response to these projections, CLSA has increased its adjusted net profit estimates by 5% for 2024, while maintaining its forecast for 2025. The firm's continued Outperform rating indicates confidence in Trip.com's growth trajectory and market position.
Trip.com reported a 22% year-over-year earnings increase to RMB 6 billion, surpassing analyst projections and marking the seventh consecutive quarter of exceeding its earnings guidance. This growth was attributed to improved margins and increased marketing efficiency. Also noteworthy was a 16% year-over-year growth in the company's revenue to RMB 15.9 billion, driven by a 40% increase in outbound travel volumes.
Analysts have responded positively to these developments. Goldman Sachs, for instance, raised its price target for Trip.com to $75.00, maintaining a Buy rating. Macquarie also increased its price target to $80.80, while CFRA raised its target to $80, both firms sustaining positive ratings. Citi and TD Cowen elevated their price targets to $73 and $71, respectively, with a Buy rating.
InvestingPro Insights
Trip.com Group's strong performance, as highlighted in the article, is further supported by recent data from InvestingPro. The company's impressive gross profit margin of 81.6% for the last twelve months as of Q3 2024 underscores its operational efficiency, aligning with CLSA's positive outlook. This is complemented by a robust revenue growth of 29.74% over the same period, indicating the company's ability to expand its market share as mentioned in the article.
InvestingPro Tips reveal that Trip.com is trading at a low P/E ratio relative to its near-term earnings growth, with a PEG ratio of 0.36. This suggests that the stock may be undervalued considering its growth prospects, which could be of interest to investors following CLSA's Outperform rating and price target.
Additionally, Trip.com's strong return over the last three months, with a price total return of 51.99%, reflects the market's positive reception of the company's recent performance and outlook. This aligns with the article's mention of Trip.com's surpassing expectations in Q3 2024 and CLSA's optimistic projections for Q4 and beyond.
For investors seeking more comprehensive insights, InvestingPro offers 13 additional tips on Trip.com Group, providing a deeper analysis of the company's financial health and market position.
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