The three greats of online distribution, according to experts, are Priceline Group, Expedia and TripAdvisor. As if that were not enough, after increasing demand and market share in the first quarter, these companies have generated 80,000 million dollars, ie 71,720 million euro, over this year.
It was confirmed by analyst Kevin Kopelman from Cowen & Co. The companies known as the “Big Three” will generate these benefits entirely in hotel bookings and vacation rental during 2015.
Kopelman indicates that the closure of Expedia in the first quarter showed a 6% increase in overnight stays. According to the analyst, the company “benefits from a strong marketing and investments of hotel suppliers, as well as the success of the German metasearch engine Trivago acquired by the company in 2012.
On the other hand, according to Kopelman, Priceline continues to suffer from undervalued stocks, despite its growth, all due to the pressures generated by foreign exchange. As for TripAdvisor, the analyst expects lower growth considering risk estimates and investment in advertising. It is true that the advertising budget of TripAdvisor has increased by between 40% and 50% last year and the trend seems to be growing, but it is very probable “that it may need to control investment in advertising in the second half of the year, thus affecting the increase of bookings.
According to forecasts, Priceline’s earnings per share will increase by only 8% in the second quarter. Previous quarters yielded increases of 8% and 23%. Regarding Expedia, its EBITDA is expected to grow between 10% and 15% this year. Finally, according to Kopelman, TripAdvisor will experience a growth in EBITDA of between 25% and 30%.