Merit Financial Group LLC Increases Stake in Expedia Group, Inc. $EXPE

Key Points

• Merit Financial Group increased its stake in Expedia by 27% in Q4 and now owns 20,423 shares worth about $5.79 million.
• Expedia beat expectations for the quarter, reporting $3.78 EPS vs. $3.32 expected and $3.55 billion in revenue (up 11.4% year‑over‑year), with analysts forecasting roughly $12.28 EPS for the fiscal year.
• Dividend and market stance: Expedia raised its quarterly dividend to $0.48 (annualized $1.92, ~0.7% yield), while the stock carries a market cap of $32.6 billion and an average analyst target of $282.42 (consensus rating: Hold).

Merit Financial Group LLC grew its position in Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE - Free Report) by 27.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 20,423 shares of the online travel company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,345 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in Expedia Group were worth $5,786,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. CI Investments Inc. raised its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 39,922 shares during the period. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Expedia Group in the third quarter valued at $1,063,000. Convergence Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Expedia Group in the third quarter valued at $1,001,000. Railway Pension Investments Ltd increased its stake in Expedia Group by 19.6% in the 3rd quarter. Railway Pension Investments Ltd now owns 115,200 shares of the online travel company's stock worth $24,624,000 after buying an additional 18,900 shares during the period. Finally, Savant Capital LLC increased its stake in Expedia Group by 13.9% in the 3rd quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 39,700 shares of the online travel company's stock worth $8,486,000 after buying an additional 4,853 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.76% of the company's stock.

Expedia Group Stock Up 4.5%

Shares of Expedia Group stock opened at $265.84 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.73. Expedia Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $144.20 and a 1 year high of $303.80. The firm's 50-day moving average is $228.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $246.25. The stock has a market cap of $32.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.99, a PEG ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.33.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The online travel company reported $3.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.32 by $0.46. Expedia Group had a net margin of 8.78% and a return on equity of 72.23%. The company had revenue of $3.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.41 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.39 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 12.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Expedia Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 5th were issued a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 5th. This is a positive change from Expedia Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Expedia Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.49%.

Insider Transactions at Expedia Group

In other Expedia Group news, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 8,225 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.82, for a total transaction of $1,816,244.50. Following the transaction, 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 9.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on EXPE shares. HSBC raised their price target on shares of Expedia Group from $365.00 to $387.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $330.00 price target on shares of Expedia Group in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Expedia Group from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Susquehanna reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $240.00 price target on shares of Expedia Group in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Expedia Group from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twenty-two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $282.42.

Expedia Group Company 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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