Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) Raised to Strong-Buy at Wall Street Zen

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on EXPE. HSBC raised their price objective on Expedia Group from $232.00 to $272.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Piper Sandler upgraded Expedia Group from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price target for the company from $190.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Expedia Group from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. CICC Research upgraded Expedia Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $271.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Finally, DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $294.00 target price on shares of Expedia Group in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and twenty-four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $271.91.

Expedia Group Price Performance

NASDAQ EXPE opened at $282.94 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.72. Expedia Group has a 12-month low of $130.01 and a 12-month high of $292.42. The company has a market capitalization of $34.67 billion, a PE ratio of 27.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.43. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $259.96 and its 200-day moving average is $221.84.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The online travel company reported $7.57 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.10 by $0.47. Expedia Group had a net margin of 9.66% and a return on equity of 64.15%. The business had revenue of $4.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.28 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $6.13 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Expedia Group will post 12.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Expedia Group

In related news, CAO Lance A. Soliday sold 849 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $248.08, for a total value of $210,619.92. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 11,662 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,893,108.96. This represents a 6.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Craig A. Jacobson sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.55, for a total transaction of $814,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 30,858 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,379,489.90. This represents a 8.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 4,849 shares of company stock worth $1,283,270 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 9.13% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Expedia Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in EXPE. OMNI 360 Wealth Inc. bought a new stake in Expedia Group during the second quarter worth $325,000. Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. boosted its holdings in Expedia Group by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter. Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. now owns 107,973 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $18,213,000 after acquiring an additional 2,767 shares during the last quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. purchased a new position in Expedia Group during the 2nd quarter worth $2,351,000. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of Expedia Group by 44.1% in the 3rd quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 16,311 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $3,486,000 after acquiring an additional 4,988 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC bought a new stake in shares of Expedia Group in the 2nd quarter worth $417,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.76% of the company’s stock.

About Expedia Group

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.