Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) Earns "Outperform" Rating from Wedbush

Key Points

• Wedbush reiterated its “outperform” rating on Expedia Group and kept a $334 price target, implying about 25% upside from the current share price.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed overall: the stock has 17 Buy ratings and 22 Hold ratings, with a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $288.82.
• Expedia recently posted a strong quarter, with EPS of $1.96 beating estimates and revenue of $3.43 billion topping expectations; revenue also rose 14.7% year over year.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "outperform" rating reissued by research analysts at Wedbush in a research note issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $334.00 price target on the online travel company's stock. Wedbush's target price points to a potential upside of 25.04% from the company's current price.

A number of other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on shares of Expedia Group from $244.00 to $230.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Expedia Group from $307.00 to $303.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Expedia Group in a research report on Monday, May 18th. B. Riley Financial cut their price target on Expedia Group from $360.00 to $350.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated a "neutral" rating and set a $240.00 price target on shares of Expedia Group in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twenty-two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $288.82.

Expedia Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:EXPE opened at $267.11 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $32.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 1.23. Expedia Group has a 12-month low of $174.05 and a 12-month high of $303.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43. The company's fifty day moving average is $239.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $244.73.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The online travel company reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.55. The business had revenue of $3.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.35 billion. Expedia Group had a net margin of 9.81% and a return on equity of 84.33%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 14.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.40 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Expedia Group will post 16.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 4,702 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $233.00, for a total transaction of $1,095,566.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 105,448 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $24,569,384. This trade represents a 4.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Lance A. Soliday sold 940 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.86, for a total transaction of $208,548.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 14,083 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,124,454.38. The trade was a 6.26% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 5.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Expedia Group

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Motiv8 Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Expedia Group in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new position in Expedia Group in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Expedia Group by 78.6% in the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the online travel company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Expedia Group during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Finally, DV Equities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Expedia Group during the fourth quarter worth $46,000. 90.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Expedia Group

Expedia Group NASDAQ: EXPE is a global travel technology company that operates an online marketplace connecting consumers, travel suppliers and third‑party partners. The company's platform enables search, comparison and booking of travel products and services, including hotels, airline tickets, vacation rentals, car rentals, cruises and packaged travel. Its portfolio comprises consumer-facing travel brands as well as corporate travel solutions and technology services that serve both leisure and business travelers.

Key offerings include consumer booking platforms and mobile apps that aggregate inventory from hotels, vacation rental managers, airlines and car rental companies, alongside ancillary travel services such as trip insurance and activities.

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