Bamco Inc. NY Makes New $80.21 Million Investment in Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE)

Bamco Inc. NY bought a new position in shares of Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 430,454 shares of the online travel company's stock, valued at approximately $80,206,000. Bamco Inc. NY owned about 0.34% of Expedia Group as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Expedia Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $670,565,000. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Expedia Group by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,228,090 shares of the online travel company's stock worth $600,750,000 after buying an additional 30,163 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in Expedia Group by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,360,374 shares of the online travel company's stock valued at $439,808,000 after buying an additional 150,480 shares during the period. Alkeon Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Expedia Group by 25.4% during the fourth quarter. Alkeon Capital Management LLC now owns 1,976,472 shares of the online travel company's stock valued at $368,276,000 after acquiring an additional 400,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lyrical Asset Management LP grew its holdings in Expedia Group by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Lyrical Asset Management LP now owns 1,763,489 shares of the online travel company's stock worth $328,591,000 after acquiring an additional 28,736 shares during the period. 90.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Expedia Group Stock Performance

Expedia Group stock traded up $1.83 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $166.56. The stock had a trading volume of 2,206,549 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,931,677. 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 stock's 50 day moving average is $163.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $175.68. Expedia Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $107.25 and a 1 year high of $207.73. The stock has a market cap of $21.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.62.

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

Expedia Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 6th were issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 6th. 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 0.96%. Expedia Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.68%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. HSBC raised shares of Expedia Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $215.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Wedbush reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Expedia Group in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Expedia Group from $208.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Hsbc Global Res raised Expedia Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on Expedia Group from $194.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $194.73.

Insider Activity at Expedia Group

In other news, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 5,000 shares of Expedia Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.70, for a total value of $1,028,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 74,502 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,325,061.40. The trade was a 6.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 6.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.