Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) Stock Price Up 16.5% - Still a Buy?

Shares of Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE - Get Free Report) shot up 16.5% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $153.24 and last traded at $159.12. 1,537,348 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 22% from the average session volume of 1,978,451 shares. The stock had previously closed at $136.63.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on EXPE shares. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Expedia Group from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Wedbush reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $215.00 target price (up from $180.00) on shares of Expedia Group in a research note on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Expedia Group from $205.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $210.00 price objective (up from $180.00) on shares of Expedia Group in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Expedia Group from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 15th. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $191.43.

Expedia Group Trading Down 0.9 %

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 company has a market capitalization of $19.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.49, a PEG 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 $175.20.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $2.06 by ($0.22). Expedia Group had a return on equity of 52.41% and a net margin of 9.01%. Analysts anticipate that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 12.28 EPS for the current year.

Expedia Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 6th were paid a $0.40 dividend. This is an increase from Expedia Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 6th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.07%. Expedia Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.68%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.70, for a total transaction of $1,028,500.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 74,502 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,325,061.40. This represents a 6.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Dara Khosrowshahi sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 158,505 shares of the company's stock, valued at $26,912,563.95. This represents a 5.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 6.80% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Expedia Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EXPE. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Expedia Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. SRH Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Expedia Group during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Sava Infond d.o.o. acquired a new position in Expedia Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its stake in shares of Expedia Group by 676.2% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 163 shares of the online travel company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Expedia Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. 90.76% of the stock is owned by 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.