Sphera Management Technology Funds Ltd Makes New Investment in Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE)

Sphera Management Technology Funds Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 5,000 shares of the online travel company's stock, valued at approximately $932,000.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Expedia Group during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. SRH Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Expedia Group during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Sava Infond d.o.o. acquired a new position in shares of Expedia Group during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust raised its holdings in shares of Expedia Group by 676.2% during the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 163 shares of the online travel company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Expedia Group during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.76% of the company's stock.

Expedia Group Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of Expedia Group stock traded down $1.74 on Friday, hitting $158.98. 1,269,711 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,933,860. Expedia Group, Inc. has a one year low of $107.25 and a one year high of $207.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The company has a fifty day moving average of $160.35 and a two-hundred day moving average of $175.96. The company has a market capitalization of $20.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.57, 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 earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The online travel company reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.42 by ($0.02). Expedia Group had a net margin of 9.01% and a return on equity of 52.41%. The business had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.02 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.21 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 12.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Expedia Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 29th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 29th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.01%. Expedia Group's payout ratio is 18.87%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on EXPE shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Expedia Group from $205.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Expedia Group in a report on Friday, February 7th. B. Riley reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $235.00 target price (up previously from $220.00) on shares of Expedia Group in a report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group lowered their target price on Expedia Group from $194.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Wedbush reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $165.00 target price (down previously from $180.00) on shares of Expedia Group in a report on Friday, May 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have given a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Expedia Group currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $186.35.

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.