Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) Trading 8.2% Higher – Should You Buy?

Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE)’s stock price shot up 8.2% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $261.95 and last traded at $265.0860. Approximately 173,796 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 92% from the average session volume of 2,178,689 shares. The stock had previously closed at $245.07.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on EXPE. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Expedia Group from $260.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Gordon Haskett cut their price objective on shares of Expedia Group from $320.00 to $290.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price objective on shares of Expedia Group from $256.00 to $253.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Expedia Group from $270.00 to $245.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Citic Securities dropped their target price on Expedia Group from $337.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twenty-three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $284.42.

Expedia Group Stock Down 4.3%

The stock has a market cap of $30.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.09, a PEG ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.25. The business’s 50 day moving average is $236.17 and its 200-day moving average is $246.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.73.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The online travel company reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.55. Expedia Group had a net margin of 9.81% and a return on equity of 84.33%. The company had revenue of $3.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.40 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 16.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Expedia Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 28th were given a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 28th. Expedia Group’s dividend payout ratio is 16.90%.

Insider Transactions at Expedia Group

In related news, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 4,702 shares of Expedia Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $233.00, for a total value of $1,095,566.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 105,448 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,569,384. The trade was a 4.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Lance A. Soliday sold 940 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.86, for a total value of $208,548.40. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 14,083 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,124,454.38. This trade represents a 6.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC boosted its stake in Expedia Group by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 9,814 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $2,098,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. RHS Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of Expedia Group by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. RHS Financial LLC now owns 1,030 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $292,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Petredis Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Expedia Group by 3.2% in the first quarter. Petredis Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,305 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $301,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in Expedia Group by 8.2% during the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 567 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $161,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in Expedia Group by 16.0% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 319 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $90,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. 90.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Expedia Group

Expedia Group (NASDAQ: EXPE) is a global travel technology company that operates an online marketplace connecting consumers, travel suppliers and third‑party partners. The company’s platform enables search, comparison and booking of travel products and services, including hotels, airline tickets, vacation rentals, car rentals, cruises and packaged travel. Its portfolio comprises consumer-facing travel brands as well as corporate travel solutions and technology services that serve both leisure and business travelers.

Key offerings include consumer booking platforms and mobile apps that aggregate inventory from hotels, vacation rental managers, airlines and car rental companies, alongside ancillary travel services such as trip insurance and activities.