StockNews.com Downgrades Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) to Buy

StockNews.com lowered shares of Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Friday morning.

EXPE has been the subject of a number of other reports. BTIG Research raised their price target on Expedia Group from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. HSBC upgraded Expedia Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $215.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday. Bank of America upgraded Expedia Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $187.00 to $221.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Argus raised their price objective on shares of Expedia Group from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Expedia Group from $135.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $187.93.

Expedia Group Trading Up 17.3 %

Shares of Expedia Group stock opened at $202.37 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.05, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.82. Expedia Group has a 52-week low of $107.25 and a 52-week high of $205.12. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $182.07 and its 200 day simple moving average is $159.92.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) 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 7.97% and a return on equity of 49.25%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Expedia Group will post 8.76 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. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.79%. This is a positive change from Expedia Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 6th.

Insider Transactions at Expedia Group

In other news, CAO Lance A. Soliday sold 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $181.99, for a total value of $1,273,930.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 11,187 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,035,922.13. This trade represents a 38.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 1,951 shares of Expedia Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total transaction of $351,180.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 85,250 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,345,000. The trade was a 2.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 28,951 shares of company stock worth $5,174,510. Company insiders own 6.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Expedia Group

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SRH Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Expedia Group during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust raised its position in Expedia Group by 676.2% during the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 163 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Expedia Group by 709.8% during the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 332 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 291 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in Expedia Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $51,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Expedia Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $72,000. Institutional investors own 90.76% 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.