Quarterly earnings results are a good time to check in on a company’s progress, especially compared to its peers in the same sector. Today we are looking at Sabre (NASDAQ:SABR) and the best and worst performers in the travel and vacation providers industry.
Airlines, hotels, resorts, and cruise line companies often sell experiences rather than tangible products, and in the last decade-plus, consumers have slowly shifted from buying "things" (wasteful) to buying "experiences" (memorable). In addition, the internet has introduced new ways of approaching leisure and lodging such as booking homes and longer-term accommodations. Traditional airlines, hotel, resorts, and cruise line companies must innovate to stay relevant in a market rife with innovation.
The 19 travel and vacation providers stocks we track reported a mixed Q1. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 0.6% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was 4.6% above.
Thankfully, share prices of the companies have been resilient as they are up 9.7% on average since the latest earnings results.
Sabre (NASDAQ:SABR)
Originally a division of American Airlines, Sabre (NASDAQ:SABR) is a technology provider for the global travel and tourism industry.
Sabre reported revenues of $776.6 million, flat year on year. This print fell short of analysts’ expectations by 2.3%. Overall, it was a slower quarter for the company with a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates and EBITDA guidance for next quarter missing analysts’ expectations.
Sabre Total Revenue
The stock is up 6.9% since reporting and currently trades at $2.63.
Founded by explorer Sven-Olof Lindblad in 1979, Lindblad Expeditions (NASDAQ:LIND) offers cruising experiences to remote destinations in partnership with National Geographic.
Lindblad Expeditions reported revenues of $179.7 million, up 17% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 18.8%. The business had an exceptional quarter with a solid beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.
Lindblad Expeditions Total Revenue
Lindblad Expeditions delivered the biggest analyst estimates beat, fastest revenue growth, and highest full-year guidance raise among its peers. The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 12.7% since reporting. It currently trades at $10.27.
Spun off from Hilton Worldwide in 2017, Hilton Grand Vacations (NYSE:HGV) is a global timeshare company that provides travel experiences for its customers through its timeshare resorts and club membership programs.
Hilton Grand Vacations reported revenues of $1.15 billion, flat year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 7.6%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ adjusted operating income and EPS estimates.
Hilton Grand Vacations delivered the weakest performance against analyst estimates in the group. Interestingly, the stock is up 14.8% since the results and currently trades at $38.59.
Established in 1981, Wyndham (NYSE:WH) is a global hotel franchising company with over 9,000 hotels across nearly 95 countries on six continents.
Wyndham reported revenues of $316 million, up 3.6% year on year. This number was in line with analysts’ expectations. Zooming out, it was a mixed quarter as it also recorded a decent beat of analysts’ EPS estimates but a miss of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates.
The stock is flat since reporting and currently trades at $85.08.
Boasting outrageous amenities like a planetarium on board its ships, Carnival (NYSE:CCL) is one of the world's largest leisure travel companies and a prominent player in the cruise industry.
Carnival reported revenues of $5.81 billion, up 7.5% year on year. This print surpassed analysts’ expectations by 0.9%. Overall, it was a strong quarter as it also produced an impressive beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and a solid beat of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates.
The stock is up 5.7% since reporting and currently trades at $22.40.
As a result of the Fed’s rate hikes in 2022 and 2023, inflation has come down from frothy levels post-pandemic. The general rise in the price of goods and services is trending towards the Fed’s 2% goal as of late, which is good news. The higher rates that fought inflation also didn't slow economic activity enough to catalyze a recession. So far, soft landing. This, combined with recent rate cuts (half a percent in September 2024 and a quarter percent in November 2024) have led to strong stock market performance in 2024. The icing on the cake for 2024 returns was Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. Presidential Election in early November, sending major indices to all-time highs in the week following the election. Still, debates around the health of the economy and the impact of potential tariffs and corporate tax cuts remain, leaving much uncertainty around 2025.
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