Stephens Inc. AR Trims Stock Holdings in Expedia Group, Inc. $EXPE

Key Points

• Stephens Inc. AR sharply reduced its Expedia stake in the first quarter, cutting holdings by 89.3% to 870 shares worth about $201,000 after selling 7,238 shares.
• Expedia reported strong quarterly results, with earnings per share of $1.96 beating estimates and revenue of $3.43 billion topping expectations; revenue rose 14.7% year over year.
• Insiders have recently sold shares, including Robert J. Dzielak and Lance A. Soliday, while analysts currently view the stock cautiously with a consensus rating of “Hold” and a target price of $286.58.

Stephens Inc. AR decreased its holdings in shares of Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE - Free Report) by 89.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 870 shares of the online travel company's stock after selling 7,238 shares during the quarter. Stephens Inc. AR's holdings in Expedia Group were worth $201,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Windacre Partnership LLC grew its position in shares of Expedia Group by 9.2% in the third quarter. Windacre Partnership LLC now owns 3,682,100 shares of the online travel company's stock valued at $787,049,000 after purchasing an additional 309,900 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Expedia Group by 25.0% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,645,732 shares of the online travel company's stock worth $779,275,000 after purchasing an additional 728,063 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Expedia Group by 8.0% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,122,842 shares of the online travel company's stock worth $667,507,000 after purchasing an additional 230,176 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Expedia Group in the 4th quarter worth about $861,979,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Expedia Group by 24,899.5% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.76% of the company's stock.

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 shares were sold at an average price of $233.00, for a total transaction of $1,095,566.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 105,448 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,569,384. This trade represents a 4.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Lance A. Soliday sold 940 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.86, for a total transaction of $208,548.40. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 14,083 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,124,454.38. This trade represents a 6.26% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 5.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Expedia Group Stock Performance

Shares of EXPE opened at $266.28 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $32.63 billion, a PE ratio of 23.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 1.23. 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 stock has a 50-day moving average price of $238.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $244.87. Expedia Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $174.05 and a 12-month high of $303.80.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The online travel company reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.55. The company had revenue of $3.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.35 billion. Expedia Group had a net margin of 9.81% and a return on equity of 84.33%. Expedia Group's revenue for the quarter was up 14.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.40 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 16.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Expedia Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 28th were paid a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 28th. Expedia Group's payout ratio is currently 16.90%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $240.00 price target on shares of Expedia Group in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Robert W. Baird set a $290.00 price objective on shares of Expedia Group in a research report on Friday, May 8th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Expedia Group from $266.00 to $262.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Expedia Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, Dbs Bank upgraded shares of Expedia Group from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twenty-three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $286.58.

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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