Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note published on Saturday.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on EXPE. B. Riley restated a “buy” rating and set a $235.00 target price (up previously from $220.00) on shares of Expedia Group in a report on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Expedia Group from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and set a $215.00 target price (up previously from $180.00) on shares of Expedia Group in a report on Friday, February 7th. Susquehanna upped their target price on Expedia Group from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Expedia Group from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Nineteen investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $192.64.

Expedia Group Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:EXPE opened at $202.38 on Friday. Expedia Group has a 52-week low of $107.25 and a 52-week high of $207.73. The stock has a market cap of $25.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.82. The business’s 50 day moving average is $183.82 and its 200 day moving average is $162.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 55.42% and a net margin of 9.01%. Sell-side analysts predict that Expedia Group will post 10.75 EPS for the current year.

Expedia Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This is an increase from Expedia Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.79%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 6th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Dara Khosrowshahi sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director now directly owns 168,505 shares in the company, valued at $31,198,700.75. This trade represents a 5.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 1,951 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total value of $351,180.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 85,250 shares in the company, valued at $15,345,000. This trade represents a 2.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 21,951 shares of company stock valued at $3,900,580. Company insiders own 6.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Expedia Group

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. SRH Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Expedia Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Sava Infond d.o.o. acquired a new stake in shares of Expedia Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in Expedia Group by 676.2% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 163 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Expedia Group in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Optiver Holding B.V. acquired a new stake in Expedia Group in the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. 90.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.