First Trust Advisors LP Boosts Holdings in Expedia Group, Inc. $EXPE

Key Points

• First Trust Advisors LP more than doubled its Expedia stake in the first quarter, boosting holdings by 104.1% to 1.19 million shares worth about $275.1 million.
• Expedia reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, posting $1.96 EPS versus $1.41 expected and revenue of $3.43 billion, up 14.7% year over year.
• Wall Street remains mixed on the stock: analysts currently have a consensus Hold rating with a target price of $288.64, while insiders have recently sold shares.

First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE - Free Report) by 104.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,191,528 shares of the online travel company's stock after buying an additional 607,698 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned about 0.97% of Expedia Group worth $275,112,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Westpac Banking Corp grew its holdings in Expedia Group by 193.7% during the first quarter. Westpac Banking Corp now owns 29,141 shares of the online travel company's stock worth $6,728,000 after acquiring an additional 19,220 shares during the period. ABN Amro Investment Solutions acquired a new position in Expedia Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,299,000. Oslo Pensjonsforsikring AS purchased a new stake in Expedia Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $475,000. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted its position in Expedia Group by 54.4% in the 1st quarter. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft now owns 1,881 shares of the online travel company's stock worth $416,000 after purchasing an additional 663 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Expedia Group by 53.6% during the 1st quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC now owns 464 shares of the online travel company's stock worth $107,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.76% of the company's stock.

Expedia Group Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of Expedia Group stock opened at $261.08 on Thursday. 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 twelve month low of $174.05 and a twelve month high of $303.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.99 billion, a PE ratio of 22.98, a P/E/G ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 1.23. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $242.88 and its 200 day moving average price is $244.06.

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

Expedia Group Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on EXPE. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Expedia Group from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Sunday, May 10th. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Expedia Group in a report on Monday, May 18th. BTIG Research restated a "buy" rating and set a $330.00 price target on shares of Expedia Group in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of Expedia Group from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Expedia Group from $266.00 to $262.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 8th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twenty-two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $288.64.

Insider Buying and Selling at Expedia Group

In related 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 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 represents a 4.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Lance A. Soliday sold 940 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.86, for a total value 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. The trade was a 6.26% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 5.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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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