Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Shares of Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the thirty-three research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $191.43.

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on EXPE. Melius upgraded Expedia Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $220.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Argus upped their price objective on shares of Expedia Group from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Expedia Group from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Susquehanna raised their price target on Expedia Group from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, B. Riley restated a "buy" rating and set a $235.00 target price (up from $220.00) on shares of Expedia Group in a report on Friday, February 7th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Expedia Group

In other Expedia Group news, Director Dara Khosrowshahi sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.79, for a total value of $1,697,900.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 158,505 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $26,912,563.95. This represents a 5.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $15,325,061.40. This represents a 6.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Expedia Group

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of EXPE. Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its stake in Expedia Group by 17.8% in the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 30,744 shares of the online travel company's stock valued at $5,729,000 after buying an additional 4,656 shares in the last quarter. Teamwork Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Expedia Group during the fourth quarter valued at $1,791,000. Clare Market Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Expedia Group during the 4th quarter worth about $319,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Expedia Group by 17.8% in the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 60,003 shares of the online travel company's stock valued at $11,180,000 after purchasing an additional 9,086 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cigna Investments Inc. New purchased a new position in Expedia Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $238,000. 90.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Expedia Group Trading Up 0.7 %

EXPE stock traded up $1.01 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $150.53. 3,123,988 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,006,310. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.63, a P/E/G ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.65. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $177.47 and a 200-day moving average price of $175.02. Expedia Group has a 1 year low of $107.25 and a 1 year high of $207.73.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE - Get Free Report) 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 predict that Expedia Group will post 12.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Expedia Group Increases Dividend

The business 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. This is a positive change from Expedia Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.06%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 6th. Expedia Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 17.68%.

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.