Franklin Resources Inc. Sells 141,640 Shares of Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE)

Franklin Resources Inc. cut its stake in Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE - Free Report) by 63.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 81,454 shares of the online travel company's stock after selling 141,640 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 0.06% of Expedia Group worth $15,177,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cannell & Spears LLC bought a new position in shares of Expedia Group during the fourth quarter worth about $6,496,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Expedia Group during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. boosted its holdings in shares of Expedia Group by 3,462.5% in the 4th quarter. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. now owns 1,425 shares of the online travel company's stock valued at $266,000 after buying an additional 1,385 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Expedia Group by 34.4% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 14,055 shares of the online travel company's stock valued at $2,619,000 after purchasing an additional 3,595 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Expedia Group by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 176,023 shares of the online travel company's stock worth $32,798,000 after buying an additional 9,052 shares during the last quarter. 90.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Expedia Group Trading Up 0.7 %

Expedia Group stock traded up $1.01 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $150.53. The stock had a trading volume of 3,123,988 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,006,310. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $177.47 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $175.02. 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, Inc. has a twelve month low of $107.25 and a twelve month high of $207.73. The firm has a market cap of $19.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.63, a PEG ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.65.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 return on equity of 52.41% and a net margin of 9.01%. Equities analysts anticipate that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 12.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Expedia Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 6th were given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.06%. 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 Transactions at Expedia Group

In other news, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 5,000 shares of the firm'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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 74,502 shares of the company's stock, valued at $15,325,061.40. This trade represents a 6.29 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Dara Khosrowshahi sold 10,000 shares of Expedia Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on EXPE. DA Davidson lifted their price objective on shares of Expedia Group from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Melius raised Expedia Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $220.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Expedia Group from $205.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $200.00 target price on shares of Expedia Group in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, HSBC upgraded Expedia Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $215.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Expedia Group currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $191.43.

Expedia Group 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.