Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) Given New $150.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE - Free Report) had its target price lowered by Morgan Stanley from $190.00 to $150.00 in a report published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an equal weight rating on the online travel company's stock.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on EXPE. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Expedia Group from $200.00 to $217.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. B. Riley reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $235.00 price target (up from $220.00) on shares of Expedia Group in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Wedbush reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Expedia Group in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. HSBC raised shares of Expedia Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $215.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Melius raised shares of Expedia Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $220.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Expedia Group currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $190.18.

Expedia Group Price Performance

NASDAQ EXPE traded up $6.26 during trading on Thursday, reaching $152.93. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,453,192 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,010,388. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $172.57 and a 200 day moving average of $175.30. Expedia Group has a one year low of $107.25 and a one year high of $207.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.71 billion, a PE ratio of 16.90, a P/E/G ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.72.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The online travel company reported $1.84 earnings per share (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%. Analysts expect that Expedia Group will post 12.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Expedia Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 6th were paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.05%. This is a positive change from Expedia Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 6th. Expedia Group's dividend payout ratio is 17.68%.

Insider Activity at Expedia Group

In related news, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider now directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Dara Khosrowshahi sold 10,000 shares of Expedia Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.79, for a total transaction of $1,697,900.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 158,505 shares in the company, valued at $26,912,563.95. This represents a 5.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Expedia Group

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Expedia Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. SRH Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Expedia Group during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Sava Infond d.o.o. bought a new stake in Expedia Group in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its stake in Expedia Group by 676.2% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 163 shares of the online travel company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Expedia Group in the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.