Sapient Capital LLC Acquires New Position in Expedia Group, Inc. $EXPE

Key Points

• Sapient Capital LLC has made a new investment in Expedia Group, purchasing 72,544 shares valued at approximately $12.2 million, representing about 0.06% ownership of the company.
• Expedia Group reported $4.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the last quarter, exceeding expectations and reflecting a 6.4% revenue increase year-over-year.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share, with an annualized dividend representing a yield of 0.7% and a payout ratio of 19.61%.

Sapient Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 72,544 shares of the online travel company's stock, valued at approximately $12,237,000. Sapient Capital LLC owned about 0.06% of Expedia Group at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Expedia Group during the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Expedia Group in the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Expedia Group in the 1st quarter worth $34,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new stake in shares of Expedia Group in the 1st quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Expedia Group by 2,175.0% in the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 273 shares of the online travel company's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares in the last quarter. 90.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Expedia Group Stock Up 0.2%

NASDAQ:EXPE traded up $0.51 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $222.43. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,559,950 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,350,937. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.57. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $202.25 and a 200-day moving average of $177.86. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.14. Expedia Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $130.01 and a 52-week high of $229.00.

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

Expedia Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 18th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 28th were paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 28th. Expedia Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 19.61%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on EXPE. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Expedia Group from $135.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Expedia Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Expedia Group from $211.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Expedia Group from $182.00 to $209.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Expedia Group in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, eighteen have assigned 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 a consensus target price of $205.63.

Insider Buying and Selling at Expedia Group

In other news, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 3,306 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.84, for a total transaction of $663,977.04. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 77,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,479,743. This represents a 4.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Craig A. Jacobson sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.78, for a total transaction of $623,340.00. Following the sale, the director owned 33,858 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,035,015.24. This trade represents a 8.14% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 9,816 shares of company stock worth $2,009,132 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 9.13% of the company's stock.

Expedia Group Company Profile

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.