market folly

Andreas Halvorsen's hedge fund firm Viking Global has filed two separate 13G's on Ctrip.com (CTRP) and Qunar (QUNR).  While they are separate companies, they are essentially the same bet: Chinese travel.  Viking already owned stakes in both companies and originally disclosed investments in the fourth quarter of 2014.


Viking Files 13G on Ctrip

First, Viking Global shows a 5.2% ownership stake in Ctrip (CTRP) with over 1.68 million shares.  The filing was made due to activity on July 7th.

We've previously highlighted the investment thesis on CTRP shares from an investment conference.

Per Google Finance, Ctrip is "a travel service provider for hotel accommodations, transportation ticketing services, packaged tours and corporate travel management in China. The Company aggregates hotel and flight information to enable business and leisure travelers to make informed bookings. The Company also helps customers book tour packages and guided tours. In addition, its corporate travel management services help corporate clients manage their travel requirements. The Company also offers Internet-related advertising and other related services. The Company enables its customers to choose and reserve hotel rooms in cities throughout China and abroad; book and purchase transportation tickets for domestic and international flights and trains, and choose and reserve packaged tours that include transportation and accommodations, as well as guided tours and other value-added services in some instances."


Viking's Qunar Filing

Second, Viking now shows a 6.5% ownership stake in Qunar (QUNR) with over 10.15 million shares.  The filing was made due to activity on July 7th.

Per Google Finance, Qunar is "engaged in offering mobile and online commerce platform for travel in China. The Company offers a range of travel products, including flights, hotels, vacations packages, attraction tickets and other travel related offerings. The Company has developed Qunar Travel, its mobile application, which enables its users to search for and purchase travel products. The Company's Software as a service (SaaS) system provides an online presence for over 240,000 travel service providers. Its search engine provides real-time travel products information directly sourced from travel service providers and through its SaaS platform. The Company's main lines of business include flight tickets, hotels, vacation packages and attraction tickets. The Company also offers display advertising, train tickets, car services, smart lodging and other services."

You can also view another stock Viking recently bought here.