Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) Shares Gap Up on Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• Jefferies upgraded Expedia Group from Hold to Buy and raised its price target to $300 (from $240), sending shares to gap up premarket — opening $235.18 vs. the prior close of $225.81.
• Quarterly results beat expectations: $3.78 EPS vs. $3.32 estimate and $3.55B revenue vs. $3.41B, and the company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.48 ($1.92 annual, ~0.8% yield).
• The analyst picture is mixed: 14 Buys and 22 Holds leave a consensus rating of "Hold" with an average target of $282.77, though several firms (e.g., HSBC, B. Riley) have issued substantially higher targets.

Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE - Get Free Report) shares gapped up prior to trading on Monday after Jefferies Financial Group upgraded the stock from a hold rating to a buy rating. The stock had previously closed at $225.81, but opened at $235.18. Jefferies Financial Group now has a $300.00 price target on the stock, up from their previous price target of $240.00. Expedia Group shares last traded at $227.1890, with a volume of 240,806 shares trading hands.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on EXPE. Susquehanna restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $240.00 price target on shares of Expedia Group in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Piper Sandler reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $225.00 target price (down from $250.00) on shares of Expedia Group in a research report on Friday, February 13th. HSBC raised their target price on shares of Expedia Group from $365.00 to $387.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. B. Riley Financial upped their price target on Expedia Group from $300.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Wedbush reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $260.00 price objective on shares of Expedia Group in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twenty-two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $282.77.

Insider Transactions at Expedia Group

In other Expedia Group news, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 8,225 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.82, for a total value of $1,816,244.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 102,480 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,629,633.60. This trade represents a 7.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 9.13% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Expedia Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Expedia Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Expedia Group in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Expedia Group by 78.6% during 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 during the period. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Expedia Group during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Expedia Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.76% of the company's stock.

Expedia Group Trading Up 1.1%

The company's fifty day moving average is $235.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $244.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.73. The company has a market cap of $27.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.17, a P/E/G ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 1.41.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The online travel company reported $3.78 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.32 by $0.46. The business had revenue of $3.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.41 billion. Expedia Group had a net margin of 8.78% and a return on equity of 72.23%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.39 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 12.28 EPS for the current year.

Expedia Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 5th were issued a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 5th. This is a positive change from Expedia Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Expedia Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 19.49%.

Expedia Group Company Profile

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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