Airbnb Gains As Earnings Show Travel Demand Remains Strong

Airbnb (ABNB:US) shares are trading higher this week after an online marketplace for short-term homestays and experiences topped analysts' expectations for the fourth quarter.

Airbnb crushed the average analyst estimate by reporting earnings per share of $0.48, more than double the $0.25 expected by analysts. Revenue came in at $1.9 billion, up 24% year-over-year and ahead of the consensus at $1.86 billion.

Net income surged from $55 million for the year-ago period to $319 million in the fourth quarter of 2022. Moreover, shares were boosted by the management’s commentary that the company is seeing continued strong demand in the opening weeks of 2023. Investors also like to hear that supply growth was strong last year.

“All regions saw significant growth in 2022 as guests increasingly crossed borders and returned to cities on Airbnb,” the company said in a press release.

For this quarter, Airbnb projects revenue between $1.75 billion and $1.82 billion, beating the $1.69 billion consensus. Compared to 2019, Airbnb’s revenue increased by 75% while the company employs 5% fewer people, suggesting a sensible approach towards costs.

“2022 was another incredible year for Airbnb. We made almost 100 upgrades to our core service, saw record guest demand, and ended the year with our highest-ever number of active listings globally,” Airbnb Co-Founder and CEO Brian Chesky said.

Looking at the recent Congress members' trades, we note that Congress members Jim Langevin bought ABNB stock on November 07 for $15,000 - $50,000. Shares closed at $95.46 on that day. Similarly, Congressman Bill Keating was buying on January 18, when the stock closed at $101.11.

On the other hand, Congressman Ro Khanna was mostly selling Airbnb shares recently, including the sale on January 09.
Airbnb stock price now trades at around $136 a share.