Empowered Funds LLC Buys 121,909 Shares of Expedia Group, Inc. $EXPE

Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in shares of Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE - Free Report) by 76.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 280,392 shares of the online travel company's stock after buying an additional 121,909 shares during the quarter. Expedia Group comprises 0.4% of Empowered Funds LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Empowered Funds LLC owned approximately 0.23% of Expedia Group worth $64,740,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of EXPE. Ardmore Road Asset Management LP purchased a new position in Expedia Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $17,317,000. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp lifted its stake in Expedia Group by 45.5% in the 1st quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 8,060 shares of the online travel company's stock worth $1,861,000 after purchasing an additional 2,519 shares in the last quarter. Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA purchased a new stake in Expedia Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $910,000. Waverly Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Expedia Group by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC now owns 53,184 shares of the online travel company's stock valued at $12,280,000 after purchasing an additional 452 shares during the period. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its holdings in Expedia Group by 58.9% in the 1st quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 7,351 shares of the online travel company's stock valued at $1,697,000 after purchasing an additional 2,726 shares during the period. 90.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on EXPE. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on shares of Expedia Group from $244.00 to $230.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Citic Securities dropped their price objective on Expedia Group from $337.00 to $320.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Truist Financial reduced their target price on Expedia Group from $252.00 to $246.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Barclays boosted their target price on Expedia Group from $260.00 to $264.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twenty-two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Expedia Group presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $288.64.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 4,702 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 105,448 shares of the company's stock, valued at $24,569,384. This represents a 4.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Lance A. Soliday sold 940 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.86, for a total transaction of $208,548.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 14,083 shares in the company, valued at $3,124,454.38. This trade represents a 6.26% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 5.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Expedia Group Stock Up 7.1%

NASDAQ EXPE opened at $278.37 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.73. Expedia Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $174.05 and a 1 year high of $303.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.11 billion, a PE ratio of 24.50, a PEG ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.23. The business's 50-day moving average is $245.80 and its 200 day moving average is $243.54.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The online travel company reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.55. Expedia Group had a net margin of 9.81% and a return on equity of 84.33%. The company had revenue of $3.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.40 earnings per share. Expedia Group's revenue was up 14.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 17.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Expedia Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 yield of 0.7%. Expedia Group's payout ratio is 16.90%.

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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