Patton Fund Management Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Expedia Group, Inc. $EXPE

Key Points

• Patton Fund Management increased its stake in Expedia by 2,061.7% in Q4 to 29,723 shares, now worth $8.42 million and representing 1.1% of Patton's holdings (its 16th-largest position).
• Expedia beat Q4 expectations with EPS of $3.78 versus $3.32 expected and revenue of $3.55B (+11.4% Y/Y), and the company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.48 (annualized $1.92; yield 0.8%).
• About 90.8% of EXPE is held by institutions, and Wall Street sentiment is mixed—MarketBeat shows a consensus "Hold" with a target price of $282.45, amid recent analyst upgrades and downgrades.

Patton Fund Management Inc. grew its holdings in Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE - Free Report) by 2,061.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 29,723 shares of the online travel company's stock after acquiring an additional 28,348 shares during the period. Expedia Group comprises 1.1% of Patton Fund Management Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Patton Fund Management Inc.'s holdings in Expedia Group were worth $8,421,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. CI Investments Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Expedia Group by 1,735.0% in the 3rd 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 last quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Expedia Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,063,000. Convergence Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Expedia Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,001,000. Railway Pension Investments Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $24,624,000 after acquiring an additional 18,900 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Savant Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Expedia Group by 13.9% in the 3rd quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 39,700 shares of the online travel company's stock valued at $8,486,000 after acquiring an additional 4,853 shares during the last quarter. 90.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Expedia Group Trading Up 5.3%

Shares of EXPE opened at $240.21 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75. Expedia Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $144.20 and a 12-month high of $303.80. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $226.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $245.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.39, a P/E/G ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 1.33.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The online travel company reported $3.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.32 by $0.46. Expedia Group had a net margin of 8.78% and a return on equity of 72.23%. The firm had revenue of $3.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.41 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.39 earnings per share. Expedia Group's quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 12.28 EPS for the current year.

Expedia Group Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EXPE has been the topic of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Expedia Group from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Argus decreased their target price on shares of Expedia Group from $345.00 to $250.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Expedia Group in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $244.00 target price on shares of Expedia Group in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Expedia Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $240.00 to $300.00 in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twenty-two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $282.45.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 8,225 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.82, for a total value of $1,816,244.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 102,480 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,629,633.60. This represents a 7.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 9.13% of the company's stock.

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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