StockNews.com Upgrades Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) to Strong-Buy

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. BTIG Research increased their target price on Expedia Group from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Expedia Group from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Melius upgraded Expedia Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $220.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Expedia Group from $137.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of Expedia Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $192.64.

Expedia Group Trading Down 0.4 %

NASDAQ:EXPE opened at $202.38 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $183.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $162.44. Expedia Group has a fifty-two week low of $107.25 and a fifty-two week high of $207.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.98 billion, a PE ratio of 22.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.82.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The online travel company reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.06 by ($0.22). Expedia Group had a net margin of 9.01% and a return on equity of 55.42%. Sell-side analysts expect that Expedia Group will post 10.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Expedia Group

In other Expedia Group news, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 1,951 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total value of $351,180.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 85,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,345,000. This represents a 2.24 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Dara Khosrowshahi sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.15, for a total value of $1,851,500.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 168,505 shares in the company, valued at $31,198,700.75. The trade was a 5.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 21,951 shares of company stock worth $3,900,580. Insiders own 6.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Expedia Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of EXPE. SRH Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Expedia Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Sava Infond d.o.o. bought a new position in Expedia Group during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust increased its stake in Expedia Group by 676.2% during the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 163 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the period. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Expedia Group during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Optiver Holding B.V. acquired a new stake in shares of Expedia Group during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.76% of the company’s stock.

Expedia Group Company Profile

Expedia Group, Inc operates as an online travel company in the United States and internationally. The company operates through B2C, B2B, and trivago segments. Its B2C segment includes Brand Expedia, a full-service online travel brand offers various travel products and services; Hotels.com for lodging accommodations; Vrbo, an online marketplace for the alternative accommodations; Orbitz, Travelocity, Wotif Group, ebookers, CheapTickets, Hotwire.com and CarRentals.com.