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Tax Policy: TRIP has a ~25% tax rate. Trump’s tax plan calls for a reduction in the
business tax rate from 35% to 15%, with elimination of most corporate tax
deductions/credits (except for the R&D credit). While it’s unclear what elements of the
tax plan will eventually be executed, Trump’s intent is clear and we believe companies
with the highest tax rate have the most to gain. We see less incremental benefit to
many of the global companies who already enjoy optimized tax rates (22% average tax
rate across our coverage), but many companies will have more incentive to bring back
Intl profits for buybacks with lower US tax rates.
Catalysts: 4Q’16 Earnings (early February) will feature initial 2017 guidance. TripAdvisor
noted on the 3Q’16 earnings call that 2017 EBITDA margin will decline further from
2016 levels as ad spend ticks up to re-accelerate growth, however it is unclear how
much margin deterioration TripAdvisor will guide to. We think the deterioration in the
guide will be higher than the Street’s expectations, driving further downside estimate
revisions.
Latest report: TripAdvisor: 2017 PM Level Outlook
1Q risks: There is downside risk to Street estimates if hotel shopper growth comes in
below expectations, mobile monetization gap widens, and if initial 2017 guidance
disappoints. We remain cautious on IB as an attempt to solve a very large problem: the
continued transition of users consuming TripAdvisor’s content on their mobile phones
instead of their desktops. On mobile phones, users are much less likely to transact or
click on an ad than on desktops.
A risk to the short thesis: There has been frequent speculation in the press that
TripAdvisor may be a takeout candidate in the rapidly consolidating online travel market,
with Priceline frequently named as the likely suitor.
Company Description: TripAdvisor is the largest global online travel media company
with over millions of members and hundreds of millions of user reviews. The company's
portfolio of web properties attracts over 300 million unique visitors per month
worldwide.
Price objective basis & risk
Aetna Inc (AET)
Our Price Objective of $149 is based on a 50/50 blend of our standalone AET valuation
($138, 13.1x 2018E EPS of $10.50 when including share repurchase) and AET pro forma
HUM valuation ($160, 14x 2018E EPS of $11.40). Our AET standalone valuation multiple
reflects AET's historical average discount to the S&P 500. Our AET pro forma HUM
valuation multiple of 14x reflects upside levers to HUM synergy guidance and to reflect
the improved long-term growth profile of the company. Risks to the upside are
regulatory approval of the HUM acquisition, better-than-expected membership growth
and lower than expected cost trend. Risks to the downside are regulators not approving
the HUM acquisition, lower-than-expected membership growth and higher than
expected cost trend.
Consolidated Edison (ED)
Our price objective of $59 is predicated on shares of ED achieving 13.0x our 2019 EPS
estimate. We apply the current group average multiple of 13.5x and apply a 0.5x
discount to reflect a well below average ROE, a slightly below average growth profile,
and a relatively challenging regulatory environment. This is offset slightly by a lower risk
Bankof America <>
Merrill Lynch Top 10 US Ideas Quarterly | 03 January 2017.15
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