Baird Financial Group Inc. Acquires 61,890 Shares of Expedia Group, Inc. $EXPE

Key Points

• Baird Financial Group Inc. has increased its stake in Expedia Group, Inc. by 74.2%, acquiring an additional 61,890 shares and bringing its total ownership to 145,340 shares valued at approximately $24.4 million.
• Expedia Group recently reported a strong earnings performance with an EPS of $4.24, surpassing analysts' expectations of $4.13, along with a revenue increase of 6.4% year-over-year.
• The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share, which equates to an annualized yield of 0.7%, with the ex-dividend date set for August 28th.

Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE - Free Report) by 74.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 145,340 shares of the online travel company's stock after acquiring an additional 61,890 shares during the quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. owned 0.11% of Expedia Group worth $24,432,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Expedia Group by 10.2% during the 1st quarter. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC now owns 29,950 shares of the online travel company's stock worth $5,051,000 after buying an additional 2,776 shares in the last quarter. Praxis Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Expedia Group by 63.5% in the first quarter. Praxis Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,610 shares of the online travel company's stock worth $775,000 after purchasing an additional 1,790 shares during the period. Korea Investment CORP increased its holdings in shares of Expedia Group by 55.1% in the first quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 177,934 shares of the online travel company's stock worth $29,911,000 after purchasing an additional 63,244 shares during the period. Monument Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Expedia Group in the first quarter worth $2,261,000. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd grew its position in Expedia Group by 19.0% in the first quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 15,838 shares of the online travel company's stock worth $2,662,000 after acquiring an additional 2,534 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.76% of the company's stock.

Expedia Group Stock Up 1.9%

Shares of NASDAQ EXPE traded up $3.98 on Thursday, reaching $216.52. 1,103,078 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,072,621. Expedia Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $126.46 and a 12 month high of $217.00. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $191.34 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $176.16. The company has a market cap of $26.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.14.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The online travel company reported $4.24 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.13 by $0.11. Expedia Group had a net margin of 7.94% and a return on equity of 56.25%. The firm had revenue of $3.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.70 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.51 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Expedia Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Q3 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 12.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Expedia Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 28th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 28th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Expedia Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.61%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on EXPE shares. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated a "positive" rating on shares of Expedia Group in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Cowen reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Expedia Group in a report on Friday, August 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $210.00 target price on shares of Expedia Group in a report on Monday, August 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Expedia Group from $219.00 to $183.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Oppenheimer reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Expedia Group in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $205.63.

Insider Transactions at Expedia Group

In other news, CAO Lance A. Soliday sold 852 shares of Expedia Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.88, for a total transaction of $175,409.76. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 12,036 shares in the company, valued at $2,477,971.68. This trade represents a 6.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 3,306 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.84, for a total transaction of $663,977.04. Following the sale, the insider owned 77,075 shares in the company, valued at $15,479,743. The trade was a 4.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 9,816 shares of company stock worth $2,009,132 in the last 90 days. 9.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Expedia Group 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.