Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Purchases 24,199 Shares of Expedia Group, Inc. $EXPE

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH raised its stake in Expedia Group by 23.6%, buying 24,199 shares to hold 126,623 shares worth about $35,764,000 (≈0.10% of the company) at quarter-end.
• Expedia beat Q4 estimates, reporting $3.78 EPS vs. $3.32 expected and $3.55B revenue vs. $3.41B expected, and the company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.48 (annualized $1.92, yield 0.8%).
• Insider and analyst activity: Insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 8,225 shares, and analysts show a mixed view with a consensus "Hold" rating and a $283.23 price target (14 Buys, 22 Holds).

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its position in shares of Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE - Free Report) by 23.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 126,623 shares of the online travel company's stock after purchasing an additional 24,199 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned 0.10% of Expedia Group worth $35,764,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Expedia Group by 78.6% in the fourth 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 period. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Expedia Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Expedia Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Rossby Financial LCC raised its holdings in Expedia Group by 103.8% during the 3rd quarter. Rossby Financial LCC now owns 161 shares of the online travel company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. bought a new position in Expedia Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.76% of the company's stock.

Expedia Group Price Performance

Shares of EXPE opened at $250.37 on Friday. Expedia Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $144.69 and a 12-month high of $303.80. The business's fifty day moving average is $230.73 and its 200 day moving average is $247.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75. The stock has a market cap of $30.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.42, a P/E/G ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.33.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The online travel company reported $3.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.32 by $0.46. Expedia Group had a return on equity of 72.23% and a net margin of 8.78%.The company had revenue of $3.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.41 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.39 EPS. Expedia Group's quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 16.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Expedia Group Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 8,225 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.82, for a total value of $1,816,244.50. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 102,480 shares in the company, valued at $22,629,633.60. This trade represents a 7.43% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 9.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EXPE has been the subject of several analyst reports. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Expedia Group from $303.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Benchmark cut their price target on shares of Expedia Group from $310.00 to $290.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 13th. DA Davidson cut their price target 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. HSBC upped their price target on shares of Expedia Group from $365.00 to $387.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Wedbush reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $260.00 price target on shares of Expedia Group in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twenty-two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Expedia Group currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $283.23.

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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