Sector Snap: Online travel stocks mostly rise

Expedia shares fell 60 cents to $24.66.

In a client note, Thomas Weisel analyst Jake Fuller said commentary on the company's earnings conference call "pointed to a weaker second quarter and higher full-year expenses."

During the call, Expedia Chief Financial Officer Michael Adler indicated the company's second-quarter results will be impacted by the absence of Easter revenue, plans to "aggressively market" to prime spring and summer travel and the first anniversary of most of its recent media purchases. Expedia does not issue quarterly guidance.

"We still like the stock from a long-term perspective, but expect downward pressure on consensus to weigh on sentiment in the near-term," Fuller said.

Meanwhile, shares of Priceline.com Inc. rose 68 cents to $128.32. Earlier, the shares traded as high as $134.99 their highest since September 2000, when they reached $177.75.

Priceline is scheduled to report its first-quarter results next Thursday.

In a separate investor note released late Wednesday, Thomas Weisel analyst Fuller said he sees Priceline gaining market share in the first quarter, and said it is likely tracking ahead of first-quarter domestic bookings targets. Fuller had predicted the same for Expedia.

The analyst said he sees Orbitz reporting bookings that are down and "potentially below consensus, but that will have to be balanced against potential margin upside as it throttles back spending."

Orbitz shares rose 11 cents to $8.06.

Elsewhere in the sector, American Depositary Shares of Chinese travel company Ctrip.com International Ltd. rose $2.73, or 4.4 percent, to $64.79, while American Depository Shares of competitor eLong Inc. rose 16 cents to $9.53.