Forsta AP Fonden Sells 2,100 Shares of Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE)

Key Points

• Forsta AP Fonden has reduced its stake in Expedia Group by 4.0%, selling 2,100 shares and bringing its total holdings to 49,900 shares valued at approximately $8.39 million.
• Institutional investors and hedge funds currently own 90.76% of Expedia Group's stock, indicating significant backing from larger financial entities.
• Analysts have varied outlooks on the stock, with recent reports adjusting target prices and ratings, leading to a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average target price of $203.00.

Forsta AP Fonden cut its position in Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE - Free Report) by 4.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 49,900 shares of the online travel company's stock after selling 2,100 shares during the period. Forsta AP Fonden's holdings in Expedia Group were worth $8,388,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bristlecone Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Expedia Group by 86.0% in the first quarter. Bristlecone Advisors LLC now owns 2,971 shares of the online travel company's stock worth $499,000 after acquiring an additional 1,374 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI raised its stake in shares of Expedia Group by 51.9% in the first quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 94,574 shares of the online travel company's stock worth $15,898,000 after acquiring an additional 32,316 shares during the last quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB raised its stake in shares of Expedia Group by 905.3% in the first quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 66,069 shares of the online travel company's stock worth $11,106,000 after acquiring an additional 59,497 shares during the last quarter. AlphaCore Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Expedia Group in the first quarter worth about $352,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Expedia Group by 9.6% in the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 218,413 shares of the online travel company's stock worth $36,715,000 after acquiring an additional 19,086 shares during the last quarter. 90.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on EXPE. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Expedia Group from $190.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $200.00 target price on shares of Expedia Group in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Expedia Group from $211.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. BTIG Research set a $250.00 price target on shares of Expedia Group and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Wedbush boosted their price target on shares of Expedia Group from $175.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eighteen have issued a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Expedia Group currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $205.63.

Expedia Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ EXPE traded up $6.49 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $209.68. 2,376,399 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,127,871. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $177.85 and its 200-day simple moving average is $173.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.70, a P/E/G ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.61. Expedia Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $126.46 and a twelve month high of $213.00.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The online travel company reported $4.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.13 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $3.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.70 billion. Expedia Group had a net margin of 7.94% and a return on equity of 56.25%. Expedia Group's quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.51 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 12.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Expedia Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 28th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 28th. Expedia Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.61%.

Expedia Group Company Profile

Expedia Group, Inc operates as an online travel company in the United States and internationally. The company operates through B2C, B2B, and trivago segments. Its B2C segment includes Brand Expedia, a full-service online travel brand offers various travel products and services; Hotels.com for lodging accommodations; Vrbo, an online marketplace for the alternative accommodations; Orbitz, Travelocity, Wotif Group, ebookers, CheapTickets, Hotwire.com and CarRentals.com.