Earnings Preview: Expedia Inc.

CHICAGO — Expedia Inc. reports its results for the third quarter before the market opens Thursday. The following is a summary of key developments and analyst opinion related to the period.

OVERVIEW: Expedia, which owns also owns Expedia.com, Hotwire.com, TripAdvisor.com and Hotels.com, is the world’s No. 1 online travel agency.

Last summer, the company said it was permanently eliminating fees it used to charge consumers to book flights or change or cancel reservations. The move, which came two years after rival Priceline.com canceled its flight booking fees, was then mimicked by competitors.

Expedia also has tried to cut costs by consolidating its Tacoma, Wash., and Dallas call centers.

BY THE NUMBERS: Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters predict the company will earn 43 cents per share on revenue of $828.9 million for the quarter. Last year, Expedia earned $99.6 million, or 32 cents per share, on revenue of $759.6 million.

ANALYST TAKE: Deutsche Bank analyst Herman Leung told investors in a research note that he expects “solid” results from the company, in part because hotel rates are dropping as lodging companies struggle to fill empty beds. The expected boost in bookings should help Expedia, which gets the largest chunk of its business from hotel bookings and can use its wide audience to get guest-starved hotels to list their discounted rooms on its service.

“The business appears to be hitting a sweet spot in the near term, and we think Expedia is positioned to benefit from the intersection of favorable occupancy trends, hotel supplier contracts and internal cost controls,” he wrote.

WHAT’S AHEAD: Analysts and investors will be looking for information on how travelers’ habits are changing as the recession wears on.

STOCK PERFORMANCE: During the quarter, which began July 1, Expedia shares climbed about 54 percent to end the period at $23.30. They’re down 8 percent for the year.