Rafferty Asset Management LLC Sells 2,875 Shares of Expedia Group, Inc. $EXPE

Key Points

• Rafferty Asset Management LLC reduced its stake in Expedia Group by 23.2%, selling 2,875 shares and ending up with a total of 9,511 shares valued at approximately $1.6 million.
• Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Expedia by 2.7%, acquiring an additional 394,147 shares for a total of over $2.5 billion in value, while institutional investors collectively own about 90.76% of the stock.
• The latest quarterly earnings for Expedia showed earnings per share (EPS) of $4.24, exceeding analysts' estimates, with a revenue of $3.79 billion, marking a 6.4% year-over-year growth.

Rafferty Asset Management LLC trimmed its holdings in Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE - Free Report) by 23.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,511 shares of the online travel company's stock after selling 2,875 shares during the period. Rafferty Asset Management LLC's holdings in Expedia Group were worth $1,599,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in Expedia Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $227,174,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Expedia Group by 3,369.4% in the first quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 1,029,117 shares of the online travel company's stock valued at $172,995,000 after purchasing an additional 999,454 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new position in shares of Expedia Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $82,975,000. Bamco Inc. NY bought a new position in Expedia Group during the 4th quarter valued at $80,206,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Expedia Group by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,201,811 shares of the online travel company's stock valued at $2,555,424,000 after acquiring an additional 394,147 shares in the last quarter. 90.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Expedia Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ EXPE traded up $3.98 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $216.52. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,103,078 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,072,621. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $191.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $176.16. Expedia Group, Inc. has a one year low of $126.46 and a one year high of $217.00. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.57.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The online travel company reported $4.24 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.13 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $3.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.70 billion. Expedia Group had a return on equity of 56.25% and a net margin of 7.94%.The company's revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.51 earnings per share. Expedia Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Q3 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 12.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Expedia Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 28th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 28th. Expedia Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 19.61%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EXPE has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Truist Financial dropped their price target on shares of Expedia Group from $175.00 to $168.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. B. Riley lifted their target price on shares of Expedia Group from $222.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $200.00 target price on shares of Expedia Group in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated a "positive" rating on shares of Expedia Group in a report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Benchmark lifted their price target on Expedia Group from $215.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, eighteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $205.63.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Lance A. Soliday sold 852 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.88, for a total value of $175,409.76. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 12,036 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,477,971.68. This trade represents a 6.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Craig A. Jacobson sold 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.78, for a total transaction of $623,340.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 33,858 shares in the company, valued at $7,035,015.24. This represents a 8.14% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 9,816 shares of company stock worth $2,009,132. 9.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Expedia Group

Expedia Group, Inc operates as an online travel company in the United States and internationally. The company operates through B2C, B2B, and trivago segments. Its B2C segment includes Brand Expedia, a full-service online travel brand offers various travel products and services; Hotels.com for lodging accommodations; Vrbo, an online marketplace for the alternative accommodations; Orbitz, Travelocity, Wotif Group, ebookers, CheapTickets, Hotwire.com and CarRentals.com.