Expedia Group, Inc. $EXPE Holdings Reduced by General American Investors Co. Inc.

Key Points

• General American Investors Co. Inc. cut its Expedia Group stake by 78.4% in the first quarter, selling 18,157 shares and leaving it with 5,000 shares valued at about $1.15 million.
• Expedia reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with earnings of $1.96 per share versus estimates of $1.41 and revenue of $3.43 billion, up 14.7% year over year.
• Analysts remain mixed on the stock: the consensus rating is Hold, though several firms recently raised price targets and the average target is $286.27, above the recent trading price.

General American Investors Co. Inc. lowered its position in Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE - Free Report) by 78.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,000 shares of the online travel company's stock after selling 18,157 shares during the quarter. General American Investors Co. Inc.'s holdings in Expedia Group were worth $1,154,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of EXPE. Windacre Partnership LLC increased its stake in shares of Expedia Group by 9.2% during the third quarter. Windacre Partnership LLC now owns 3,682,100 shares of the online travel company's stock valued at $787,049,000 after acquiring an additional 309,900 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in Expedia Group by 25.0% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,645,732 shares of the online travel company's stock worth $779,275,000 after buying an additional 728,063 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Expedia Group by 8.0% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,122,842 shares of the online travel company's stock valued at $667,507,000 after buying an additional 230,176 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Expedia Group during the 4th quarter worth about $861,979,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in Expedia Group by 24,899.5% during the third 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 in the last quarter. 90.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Expedia Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:EXPE traded up $3.05 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $270.83. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,026,013 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,539,861. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.84, a PEG ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.23. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $238.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $245.48. Expedia Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $174.05 and a fifty-two week high of $303.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.73.

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

Expedia Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 28th were paid a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 28th. Expedia Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 16.90%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of Expedia Group from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Susquehanna increased their target price on shares of Expedia Group from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on Expedia Group from $244.00 to $230.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Argus increased their price objective on Expedia Group from $270.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price objective on Expedia Group from $260.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twenty-three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Expedia Group has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $286.27.

Insider Buying and Selling at Expedia Group

In other news, CAO Lance A. Soliday sold 940 shares of the business's 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 sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 14,083 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,124,454.38. The trade was a 6.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 4,702 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $233.00, for a total value of $1,095,566.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 105,448 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $24,569,384. This trade represents a 4.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 5.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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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