Expedia Group, Inc. $EXPE Shares Bought by Railway Pension Investments Ltd

Key Points

• Railway Pension Investments Ltd increased its Expedia Group stake by 187.2% in the fourth quarter, buying an additional 215,700 shares and bringing its total to 330,900 shares worth about $93.7 million.
• Expedia reported strong quarterly results, posting EPS of $1.96 versus estimates of $1.41 and revenue of $3.43 billion, while revenue rose 14.7% year over year.
• Despite the beat, analysts remain cautious overall: Expedia currently has a Hold consensus rating with a consensus price target of $284.42, even as some firms recently raised or adjusted their targets.

Railway Pension Investments Ltd raised its holdings in Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE - Free Report) by 187.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 330,900 shares of the online travel company's stock after buying an additional 215,700 shares during the period. Railway Pension Investments Ltd owned about 0.27% of Expedia Group worth $93,747,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. CI Investments Inc. raised its stake in Expedia Group by 1,735.0% in the third quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 42,223 shares of the online travel company's stock valued at $9,025,000 after buying an additional 39,922 shares in the last quarter. Convergence Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Expedia Group in the third quarter valued at $1,001,000. National Pension Service raised its stake in Expedia Group by 6.7% in the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 248,328 shares of the online travel company's stock valued at $53,080,000 after buying an additional 15,611 shares in the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC raised its stake in Expedia Group by 13.9% in the third quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 39,700 shares of the online travel company's stock valued at $8,486,000 after buying an additional 4,853 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Expedia Group by 24.3% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 19,644 shares of the online travel company's stock valued at $4,199,000 after buying an additional 3,841 shares in the last quarter. 90.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Expedia Group news, CAO Lance A. Soliday sold 940 shares of Expedia Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.86, for a total value of $208,548.40. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 14,083 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,124,454.38. The trade was a 6.26% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 8,225 shares of Expedia Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.82, for a total value of $1,816,244.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 102,480 shares in the company, valued at $22,629,633.60. This represents a 7.43% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 5.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on EXPE. Dbs Bank raised Expedia Group from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Gordon Haskett dropped their price objective on Expedia Group from $320.00 to $290.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Expedia Group from $310.00 to $307.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 8th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Expedia Group from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Expedia Group from $260.00 to $264.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twenty-three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Expedia Group presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $284.42.

Expedia Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ EXPE opened at $225.79 on Friday. Expedia Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $160.00 and a 52-week high of $303.80. The business's 50-day moving average price is $235.30 and its 200 day moving average price is $249.18. The firm has a market cap of $27.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.88, a P/E/G ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The online travel company reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.55. Expedia Group had a return on equity of 84.33% and a net margin of 9.81%.The company had revenue of $3.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.35 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.40 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 14.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 17.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Expedia Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 28th will be issued a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 28th. Expedia Group's payout ratio is currently 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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