Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE) Shares Sold by River Road Asset Management LLC

River Road Asset Management LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE) by 77.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 41,221 shares of the online travel company’s stock after selling 139,113 shares during the quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Expedia Group were worth $7,681,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SRH Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Expedia Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust grew its position in Expedia Group by 676.2% in the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 163 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Expedia Group by 709.8% during the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 332 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 291 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in Expedia Group during the third quarter valued at about $51,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Expedia Group in the fourth quarter worth about $72,000. 90.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Expedia Group Stock Performance

EXPE opened at $163.75 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.72. Expedia Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $107.25 and a 52-week high of $207.73. The firm has a market cap of $21.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.82. The business’s fifty day moving average is $186.44 and its 200-day moving average is $171.45.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The online travel company reported $1.84 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 12.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Expedia Group Increases Dividend

The company 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. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 6th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.98%. This is a boost from Expedia Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. Expedia Group’s dividend payout ratio is 17.68%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on EXPE shares. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Expedia Group in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Oppenheimer raised their target price on Expedia Group from $210.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Argus upped their price target on Expedia Group from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Baird R W raised shares of Expedia Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Expedia Group from $208.00 to $236.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Expedia Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $192.64.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 approximately $15,325,061.40. This trade represents a 6.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Dara Khosrowshahi sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.79, for a total value of $1,697,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 158,505 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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. Insiders sold 25,000 shares of company stock valued at $4,577,900 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 6.80% of the company’s stock.

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.