Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) Shares Gap Up - Time to Buy?

Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE - Get Free Report)'s share price gapped up prior to trading on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $180.64, but opened at $187.09. Expedia Group shares last traded at $184.84, with a volume of 267,000 shares.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on EXPE. Baird R W raised shares of Expedia Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. DA Davidson lifted their target price on Expedia Group from $135.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Expedia Group in a report on Monday. Benchmark lifted their price objective on Expedia Group from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered Expedia Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $130.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $169.70.

Expedia Group Stock Performance

The business's fifty day moving average is $173.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $146.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.62 billion, a PE ratio of 22.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Lance A. Soliday sold 7,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $181.99, for a total transaction of $1,273,930.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 11,187 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,035,922.13. The trade was a 38.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 1,951 shares of the firm'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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 85,250 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $15,345,000. This represents a 2.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 38,951 shares of company stock valued at $6,197,710 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 6.80% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Expedia Group

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new stake in Expedia Group in the second quarter worth about $27,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Expedia Group by 93.8% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 217 shares of the online travel company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Expedia Group by 709.8% during the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 332 shares of the online travel company's stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 291 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in Expedia Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $51,000. Finally, Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC purchased a new position in Expedia Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $74,000. 90.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.