Tripadvisor Inc. (NASDAQ:TRIP) posted a strong fourth quarter earnings on Thursday, beating estimates with earnings per share of $0.30, a 42.86% surprise over the $0.21 projection.

Revenue hit $411 million, topping forecasts by 2.75%.

Solid Q4, But JPMorgan Sees Rough Road Ahead

Despite the beat, JPMorgan analyst Doug Anmuth remains Underweight on the stock, citing multiple headwinds.

"Holiday timing, tough comps, & FX weigh on 1Q guide," Anmuth noted, while management expects 2025 growth to be "back-half weighted due to hotel meta's tough pricing comps in 1H." He added that 2026 could bring a turnaround with "acceleration expected across top & bottom lines."

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Long-Term Prospects Hinged On Brand Transformation

While Tripadvisor's experiences and dining platforms, Viator and TheFork, continue to grow, the core brand’s pivot from hotel meta-search to travel planning is dragging results.

Anmuth emphasized, "Brand Tripadvisor's transformation…remains in its early days and is weighing on revenue and Adj. EBITDA growth in the near term."

Management projects full-year revenue growth of 5%-7% in 2025, with adjusted EBITDA margins compressing by around 50bps at the high end. The Liberty Tripadvisor Holdings merger is still on track for second quarter completion, but Anmuth cut 2025 and 2026 EBITDA projections by 5% and 7%, sticking to his $15 price target.

Technicals Show Mixed Signals

Technically, TRIP stock is in moderately bearish territory.

Chart created using Benzinga Pro

The stock trades at $16.50, below its eight-day and 20-day simple moving averages, both flashing bearish signals at $17.66. However, the 50-day and 200-day SMAs, at $15.79 and $16.04 respectively, suggest a bullish tilt.

The MACD (moving average convergence/divergence) reading of 0.43 suggests bullish sentiment, while an RSI (relative strength index) of 44.01 reflects neutral sentiment.

Overall, while Tripadvisor's fourth-quarter results showed resilience, near-term headwinds, and margin pressures keep JPMorgan on the sidelines.

With the stock trading below key averages and growth weighted toward the back half of 2025, TRIP remains a wait-and-see story for now.

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Photo by Tero Vesalainen via Shutterstock.