HighTower Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE)

HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE - Free Report) by 43.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 69,596 shares of the online travel company's stock after buying an additional 20,925 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.05% of Expedia Group worth $12,968,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its stake in Expedia Group by 17.8% during the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 30,744 shares of the online travel company's stock worth $5,729,000 after buying an additional 4,656 shares in the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC grew its stake in Expedia Group by 33.7% during the third quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 10,191 shares of the online travel company's stock worth $1,508,000 after buying an additional 2,569 shares in the last quarter. Teamwork Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Expedia Group in the fourth quarter worth about $1,791,000. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC bought a new position in shares of Expedia Group in the third quarter worth about $527,000. Finally, Clare Market Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Expedia Group in the fourth quarter worth about $319,000. 90.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Expedia Group Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of EXPE stock traded up $0.61 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $173.09. 2,384,206 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,892,761. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $184.00 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $172.26. Expedia Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $107.25 and a fifty-two week high of $207.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.72. The firm has a market cap of $22.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.13, a P/E/G ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.83.

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Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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%. Equities analysts anticipate that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 12.28 EPS for the current year.

Expedia Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 6th will be given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 6th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.92%. This is an increase from Expedia Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. Expedia Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.68%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on EXPE. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Expedia Group from $163.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Expedia Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com raised shares of Expedia Group from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, February 15th. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on shares of Expedia Group from $235.00 to $230.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Expedia Group in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $193.43.

Insider Activity at Expedia Group

In related news, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 5,000 shares of Expedia Group 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 sale, the insider now owns 74,502 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $15,325,061.40. This trade represents a 6.29 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Dara Khosrowshahi sold 10,000 shares of Expedia Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.15, for a total transaction of $1,851,500.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 168,505 shares in the company, valued at $31,198,700.75. This represents a 5.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 25,000 shares of company stock valued at $4,577,900. 6.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.