Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the thirty-three analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Nineteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $193.61.

EXPE has been the topic of several research reports. Susquehanna increased their price target on shares of Expedia Group from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Argus increased their price objective on Expedia Group from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $210.00 price target (up previously from $180.00) on shares of Expedia Group in a report on Friday, February 7th. Oppenheimer increased their target price on Expedia Group from $210.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Expedia Group in a report on Tuesday, February 4th.

Expedia Group Stock Down 3.3 %

EXPE stock opened at $157.11 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $185.40 and its 200 day moving average is $171.29. Expedia Group has a one year low of $107.25 and a one year high of $207.73. The firm has a market cap of $20.24 billion, a PE ratio of 17.36, a P/E/G ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.72.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The online travel company reported $1.84 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.06 by ($0.22). Expedia Group had a net margin of 9.01% and a return on equity of 52.41%. On average, research analysts forecast that Expedia Group will post 12.28 EPS for the current year.

Expedia Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This is a boost from Expedia Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 6th. Expedia Group’s payout ratio is currently 17.68%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Expedia Group news, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.70, for a total value of $1,028,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 74,502 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,325,061.40. The trade was a 6.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Dara Khosrowshahi sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.15, for a total transaction of $1,851,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 168,505 shares in the company, valued at $31,198,700.75. This represents a 5.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 25,000 shares of company stock valued at $4,577,900. Company insiders own 6.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Expedia Group

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in EXPE. Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its holdings in shares of Expedia Group by 17.8% during the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 30,744 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $5,729,000 after buying an additional 4,656 shares in the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC lifted its holdings in Expedia Group by 33.7% during the third quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 10,191 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $1,508,000 after acquiring an additional 2,569 shares during the period. Teamwork Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Expedia Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,791,000. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC purchased a new position in shares of Expedia Group in the third quarter worth about $527,000. Finally, Clare Market Investments LLC purchased a new position in Expedia Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $319,000. Institutional investors own 90.76% of the company’s stock.

About Expedia Group

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.