Priceline Earnings Preview: Company Expected To Post Strong Q1 Growth On Global Footprint

Priceline.com Inc (NASDAQ: PCLN), the leading online travel agency, is gearing up to announce its first-quarter earnings after the bell Thursday, and analysts polled by Zacks Investment Research expect the company to post another quarter of strong growth.Analysts attribute growth to factors such as the company expanding its international footprint and its increasing investment in developing alternate user platforms, such as building its mobile platform which is growing rapidly.In addition, Priceline announced its acquisition of search engine Kayak in November 2012, and analysts believe the acquisition can increase booking transactions for the company.Analysts will also be eyeing the launch of Priceline's first offline advertising campaign to build the Booking.com brand in the U.S. after being successful in the European market, and analysts will be watching to see if the company can increase that presence in the U.S.Overall, investors will be waiting Thursday to see if Priceline can match Expedia's lead through its expanding international footprint.