U S Global Investors Inc. Lowers Stock Position in Expedia Group, Inc. $EXPE

Key Points

• U S Global Investors cut its stake by 19.6% in Expedia during Q4, selling 13,815 shares and ending the period with 56,812 shares worth $16.10 million (about 1.7% of the fund and its 16th-largest holding).
• Insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 8,225 shares at an average $220.82 (a 7.43% reduction); insiders now own 9.13% of EXPE while institutional investors hold roughly 90.76%.
• Expedia reported an earnings beat (Q: EPS $3.78 vs $3.32 consensus; revenue $3.55B vs $3.41B) and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.48, but analysts remain mixed with a consensus Hold rating and a $283.23 target price.

U S Global Investors Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE - Free Report) by 19.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 56,812 shares of the online travel company's stock after selling 13,815 shares during the period. Expedia Group accounts for about 1.7% of U S Global Investors Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 16th biggest position. U S Global Investors Inc.'s holdings in Expedia Group were worth $16,095,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of EXPE. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC grew its position in Expedia Group by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 9,814 shares of the online travel company's stock valued at $2,098,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. RHS Financial LLC grew its position in Expedia Group by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. RHS Financial LLC now owns 1,030 shares of the online travel company's stock valued at $292,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in Expedia Group by 16.0% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 319 shares of the online travel company's stock valued at $90,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Expedia Group by 78.6% in the 4th quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the online travel company's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC grew its position in Expedia Group by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 1,382 shares of the online travel company's stock valued at $392,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. 90.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 8,225 shares of the business'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 transaction, the insider owned 102,480 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,629,633.60. The trade was a 7.43% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 9.13% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EXPE has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Expedia Group from $281.00 to $225.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 20th. DA Davidson lowered their price objective on shares of Expedia Group from $294.00 to $260.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Expedia Group from $311.00 to $310.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. HSBC raised their target price on Expedia Group from $365.00 to $387.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their target price on Expedia Group from $252.00 to $246.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 6th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twenty-two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Expedia Group has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $283.23.

Expedia Group Trading Down 5.4%

NASDAQ:EXPE opened at $250.37 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $30.68 billion, a PE ratio of 25.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75. Expedia Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $144.69 and a 52-week high of $303.80. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $230.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $247.37.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The online travel company reported $3.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.32 by $0.46. The business had revenue of $3.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.41 billion. Expedia Group had a return on equity of 72.23% and a net margin of 8.78%.The business's revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.39 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 16.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Expedia Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 5th were paid a dividend of $0.48 per share. This is a boost from Expedia Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 5th. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Expedia Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 19.49%.

Expedia Group 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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