HB Wealth Management LLC Decreases Stake in Expedia Group, Inc. $EXPE

Key Points

• HB Wealth Management LLC cut its Expedia Group stake by 79.9% in the first quarter, selling 21,460 shares and leaving it with 5,407 shares valued at about $1.25 million.
• Expedia reported a strong quarter, with EPS of $1.96 versus the $1.41 estimate and revenue of $3.43 billion, up 14.7% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but improving: the stock has a Hold consensus rating, an average price target of $286.27, and several firms have recently raised targets or upgraded the shares.

HB Wealth Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE - Free Report) by 79.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,407 shares of the online travel company's stock after selling 21,460 shares during the period. HB Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Expedia Group were worth $1,248,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of EXPE. Motiv8 Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Expedia Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new position in Expedia Group during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Expedia Group by 78.6% in the 4th quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the online travel company's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Expedia Group in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. increased its stake in shares of Expedia Group by 970.6% in the 3rd quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 182 shares of the online travel company's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. 90.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Expedia Group Stock Performance

Shares of EXPE stock opened at $269.87 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.73. The firm has a market cap of $33.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.76, a P/E/G ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 1.23. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $236.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $245.63. Expedia Group, Inc. has a one year low of $174.05 and a one year high of $303.80.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The online travel company reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) 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 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 14.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 16.98 EPS for the current year.

Expedia Group Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In other Expedia Group news, CAO Lance A. Soliday sold 940 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were 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 $3,124,454.38. This represents a 6.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 4,702 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider directly owned 105,448 shares in the company, valued at $24,569,384. This represents a 4.27% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 5.20% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on EXPE shares. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Expedia Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $240.00 to $300.00 in a report on Monday, March 30th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Expedia Group from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Sunday, May 10th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of Expedia Group from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Expedia Group in a report on Monday, May 18th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $290.00 price target on shares of Expedia Group in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twenty-three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $286.27.

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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