Wright Investors Service Inc. Acquires 2,270 Shares of Expedia Group, Inc. $EXPE

Wright Investors Service Inc. raised its holdings in Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE) by 39.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,036 shares of the online travel company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,270 shares during the period. Wright Investors Service Inc.’s holdings in Expedia Group were worth $1,718,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Expedia Group by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,304,305 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $2,581,530,000 after buying an additional 102,494 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Expedia Group in the second quarter worth $663,882,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Expedia Group by 1.7% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,414,935 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $574,364,000 after acquiring an additional 58,244 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Expedia Group by 102.0% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,917,669 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $492,152,000 after purchasing an additional 1,473,386 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alkeon Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Expedia Group by 4.2% during the 2nd quarter. Alkeon Capital Management LLC now owns 2,475,276 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $417,530,000 after purchasing an additional 100,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Expedia Group

In other Expedia Group news, Director Craig A. Jacobson sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.55, for a total transaction of $814,650.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 30,858 shares in the company, valued at $8,379,489.90. This trade represents a 8.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Lance A. Soliday sold 849 shares of Expedia Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $248.08, for a total transaction of $210,619.92. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 11,662 shares in the company, valued at $2,893,108.96. This trade represents a 6.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 4,849 shares of company stock worth $1,283,270. 9.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on EXPE shares. BTIG Research raised their target price on Expedia Group from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their price target on shares of Expedia Group from $290.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Benchmark raised their price objective on shares of Expedia Group from $265.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. B. Riley upped their target price on shares of Expedia Group from $300.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, UBS Group set a $270.00 target price on shares of Expedia Group in a research note on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and twenty-four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Expedia Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $288.16.

Expedia Group Price Performance

EXPE stock opened at $294.28 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $273.73 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $229.12. The stock has a market cap of $36.06 billion, a PE ratio of 28.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.43. Expedia Group, Inc. has a one year low of $130.01 and a one year high of $303.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.72, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.74.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The online travel company reported $7.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.10 by $0.47. Expedia Group had a net margin of 9.66% and a return on equity of 64.15%. The company had revenue of $4.41 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.28 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $6.13 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 12.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Expedia Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 19th were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 19th. Expedia Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 15.31%.

Expedia Group Company Profile

Expedia Group (NASDAQ: EXPE) is a global travel technology company that operates an online marketplace connecting consumers, travel suppliers and third‑party partners. The company’s platform enables search, comparison and booking of travel products and services, including hotels, airline tickets, vacation rentals, car rentals, cruises and packaged travel. Its portfolio comprises consumer-facing travel brands as well as corporate travel solutions and technology services that serve both leisure and business travelers.

Key offerings include consumer booking platforms and mobile apps that aggregate inventory from hotels, vacation rental managers, airlines and car rental companies, alongside ancillary travel services such as trip insurance and activities.