Highland Capital Management LLC Takes $2.07 Million Position in Expedia Group, Inc. $EXPE

Key Points

• Highland Capital Management bought a new Q4 position in Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) of 7,289 shares valued at about $2.07 million, and institutional/hedge funds now own roughly 90.76% of the stock.
• Expedia beat quarterly estimates with EPS of $3.78 (vs. $3.32 expected) and revenue of $3.55B (up 11.4% YoY), and the company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.48 ($1.92 annual).
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: the consensus rating is "Hold" with an average price target of $282.74, while individual targets range from around $225 (Citigroup) to $355 (Goldman Sachs).

Highland Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 7,289 shares of the online travel company's stock, valued at approximately $2,065,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Expedia Group by 78.6% during the 4th quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the online travel company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Expedia Group during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Expedia Group during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Rossby Financial LCC grew its stake in Expedia Group by 103.8% during the 3rd quarter. Rossby Financial LCC now owns 161 shares of the online travel company's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. grew its stake in Expedia Group by 970.6% during the 3rd quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 182 shares of the online travel company's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. 90.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on EXPE shares. Citigroup dropped their target price on Expedia Group from $281.00 to $225.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Expedia Group from $325.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Expedia Group from $260.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Citizens Jmp restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Expedia Group in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $244.00 target price on Expedia Group in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twenty-two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $282.74.

Expedia Group Stock Performance

Shares of EXPE opened at $248.65 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $235.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $249.09. Expedia Group, Inc. has a one year low of $148.55 and a one year high of $303.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.73. The stock has a market cap of $30.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.24, a P/E/G ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.30.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The online travel company reported $3.78 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.32 by $0.46. Expedia Group had a return on equity of 72.23% and a net margin of 8.78%.The company had revenue of $3.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.41 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.39 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 16.64 EPS for the current year.

Expedia Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 5th were paid a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 5th. This is an increase from Expedia Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Expedia Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Expedia Group

In other news, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 8,225 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.82, for a total value of $1,816,244.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 102,480 shares of the company's stock, valued at $22,629,633.60. The trade was a 7.43% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 9.13% of the company's stock.

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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