California First Leasing Corp Buys Shares of 11,908 Expedia Group, Inc. $EXPE

Key Points

• California First Leasing Corp opened a new position in Expedia Group, buying 11,908 shares worth about $2.75 million in the first quarter.
• Expedia reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $1.96 versus $1.41 expected and revenue of $3.43 billion, up 14.7% from a year earlier.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: the stock has a Hold consensus with an average price target of $284.30, while recent insider sales and heavy institutional ownership continue to draw attention.

California First Leasing Corp bought a new stake in Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 11,908 shares of the online travel company's stock, valued at approximately $2,749,000. Expedia Group accounts for approximately 0.9% of California First Leasing Corp's investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Expedia Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $861,979,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in Expedia Group by 24,899.5% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,808,466 shares of the online travel company's stock valued at $386,560,000 after buying an additional 1,801,232 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Expedia Group by 25.0% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,645,732 shares of the online travel company's stock valued at $779,275,000 after buying an additional 728,063 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in Expedia Group by 594.0% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 583,830 shares of the online travel company's stock worth $165,405,000 after buying an additional 499,706 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG lifted its position in Expedia Group by 55.0% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 1,286,093 shares of the online travel company's stock worth $364,363,000 after buying an additional 456,176 shares in the last quarter. 90.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Expedia Group Price Performance

Expedia Group stock opened at $268.69 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $32.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.65, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.23. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $236.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $245.85. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43. Expedia Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $171.27 and a 1-year high of $303.80.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The online travel company reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.55. The business had revenue of $3.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.35 billion. Expedia Group had a net margin of 9.81% and a return on equity of 84.33%. Expedia Group's quarterly revenue was up 14.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.40 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 16.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Expedia Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 28th were given a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 28th. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Expedia Group's payout ratio is currently 16.90%.

Insider Transactions at Expedia Group

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on EXPE. BTIG Research restated a "buy" rating and set a $330.00 price target on shares of Expedia Group in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Expedia Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $240.00 to $300.00 in a report on Monday, March 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $240.00 price objective on shares of Expedia Group in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Barclays boosted their target price on Expedia Group from $260.00 to $264.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on Expedia Group from $244.00 to $230.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twenty-three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Expedia Group presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $284.30.

Expedia Group 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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