Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Reduces Stock Position in Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE)

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA cut its stake in Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE) by 9.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 54,907 shares of the online travel company’s stock after selling 5,423 shares during the quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA’s holdings in Expedia Group were worth $10,231,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in EXPE. SRH Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Expedia Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Sava Infond d.o.o. purchased a new position in Expedia Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust increased its holdings in Expedia Group by 676.2% during the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 163 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Expedia Group by 75.5% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 272 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Expedia Group in the fourth quarter worth $72,000. 90.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on EXPE. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Expedia Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. B. Riley reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $235.00 target price (up from $220.00) on shares of Expedia Group in a research note on Friday, February 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Expedia Group from $208.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Expedia Group from $166.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Expedia Group from $168.00 to $199.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $193.43.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Dara Khosrowshahi sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director now owns 158,505 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,912,563.95. The trade was a 5.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.70, for a total transaction of $1,028,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 74,502 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,325,061.40. This represents a 6.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Expedia Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ:EXPE opened at $167.85 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $181.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $174.89. The stock has a market cap of $21.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.83. Expedia Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $107.25 and a twelve month high of $207.73.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The online travel company reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.06 by ($0.22). Expedia Group had a net margin of 9.01% and a return on equity of 52.41%. As a group, research analysts predict that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 12.28 EPS for the current year.

Expedia Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 6th were given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 6th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.95%. This is a positive change from Expedia Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. Expedia Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.68%.

Expedia Group Company 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.