OP Asset Management Ltd Takes Position in Expedia Group, Inc. $EXPE

Key Points

• OP Asset Management opened a new position in Expedia Group in the first quarter, buying 11,730 shares worth about $2.7 million.
• Expedia reported strong quarterly results, posting EPS of $1.96 versus $1.41 expected and revenue of $3.43 billion, up 14.7% year over year.
• The stock rose 4.9% in Friday trading, while analysts remain mixed overall with a Hold consensus and an average price target of $284.42.

OP Asset Management Ltd purchased a new stake in Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 11,730 shares of the online travel company's stock, valued at approximately $2,708,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Expedia Group in the fourth quarter valued at $861,979,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in shares of Expedia Group by 24,899.5% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,808,466 shares of the online travel company's stock valued at $386,560,000 after buying an additional 1,801,232 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Expedia Group by 25.0% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,645,732 shares of the online travel company's stock worth $779,275,000 after buying an additional 728,063 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Expedia Group by 594.0% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 583,830 shares of the online travel company's stock worth $165,405,000 after buying an additional 499,706 shares during the period. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG grew its holdings in shares of Expedia Group by 55.0% during the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 1,286,093 shares of the online travel company's stock worth $364,363,000 after buying an additional 456,176 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.76% of the company's stock.

Expedia Group Trading Up 4.9%

Shares of EXPE opened at $263.29 on Friday. Expedia Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $166.22 and a twelve month high of $303.80. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.18, a PEG ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.25. The firm's 50-day moving average is $236.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $246.33.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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. The company had revenue of $3.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.35 billion. Expedia Group had a net margin of 9.81% and a return on equity of 84.33%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 14.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.40 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 16.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Expedia Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 28th. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Expedia Group's payout ratio is currently 16.90%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on EXPE shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Expedia Group from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, May 10th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on Expedia Group from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Dbs Bank upgraded Expedia Group from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Expedia Group from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $330.00 price target on shares of Expedia Group in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twenty-three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Expedia Group presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $284.42.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 4,702 shares of the firm's 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 owned 105,448 shares in the company, valued at $24,569,384. This trade represents a 4.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Lance A. Soliday sold 940 shares of Expedia Group stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.86, for a total value of $208,548.40. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 14,083 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,124,454.38. This trade represents a 6.26% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 5.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Expedia Group

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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