Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Buys 9,052 Shares of Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE)

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE - Free Report) by 5.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 176,023 shares of the online travel company's stock after purchasing an additional 9,052 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned about 0.14% of Expedia Group worth $32,798,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of EXPE. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its stake in shares of Expedia Group by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,360,374 shares of the online travel company's stock valued at $439,808,000 after buying an additional 150,480 shares in the last quarter. Allianz SE purchased a new position in Expedia Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $997,000. Allstate Corp purchased a new stake in Expedia Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $687,000. Maridea Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Expedia Group in the 4th quarter valued at $346,000. Finally, DnB Asset Management AS boosted its stake in shares of Expedia Group by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. DnB Asset Management AS now owns 22,419 shares of the online travel company's stock valued at $4,177,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares during the period. 90.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Expedia Group Stock Down 5.7 %

NASDAQ EXPE traded down $8.70 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $143.67. 1,312,480 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,946,638. The company has a 50 day moving average of $181.19 and a two-hundred day moving average of $174.74. The firm has a market cap of $18.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.94, a PEG ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.83. Expedia Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $107.25 and a 52-week high of $207.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87.

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Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The online travel company reported $1.84 earnings per share 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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 12.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Expedia Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 6th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 6th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.11%. This is a boost from Expedia Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. Expedia Group's payout ratio is presently 17.68%.

Insider Activity at Expedia Group

In related news, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were 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 owns 74,502 shares in the company, valued at $15,325,061.40. This represents a 6.29 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Dara Khosrowshahi sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.79, for a total transaction of $1,697,900.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 158,505 shares of the company's stock, valued at $26,912,563.95. The trade was a 5.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 6.80% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on EXPE shares. HSBC upgraded Expedia Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $215.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Expedia Group from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Expedia Group from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Bank of America raised shares of Expedia Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $187.00 to $221.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Expedia Group in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $193.43.

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.