This Is a Key Competitive Advantage for Airbnb

Airbnb (NASDAQ: ABNB) is seeing a sharp recovery in its business over the last year as travel demand has picked up. In the first quarter, the company reported its highest-ever nights and experiences booked on the platform. But that strong performance is not translating into higher stock prices.

Since the beginning of April, Airbnb's stock price has fallen almost 50%. This sharp drop is correlated with the sharp rise in U.S. gas prices, which have increased 16.5% over the last three months. 

Apparently, stock traders are concerned about the near-term demand in travel with energy prices soaring. What's unusual here is that investors have punished Airbnb more than hotel stocks. This is likely due to Airbnb's higher valuation. Compared to Marriott International and Hyatt Hotels, Airbnb is more expensive on a price-to-sales basis, where it trades at a sales multiple of 8.8. That is about three to four times the sales multiple of Marriott and Hyatt. 

Continue reading

Source Fool.com