Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. Sells 77,131 Shares of Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE)

Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. lessened its position in Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE - Free Report) by 34.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 145,674 shares of the online travel company's stock after selling 77,131 shares during the period. Expedia Group makes up 2.0% of Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd.'s portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. owned approximately 0.11% of Expedia Group worth $27,143,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. grew its stake in shares of Expedia Group by 16.3% in the third quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. now owns 216,685 shares of the online travel company's stock worth $32,074,000 after purchasing an additional 30,396 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Expedia Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,958,000. Optimist Retirement Group LLC acquired a new position in Expedia Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $246,000. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas bought a new stake in shares of Expedia Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,930,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of Expedia Group by 299.3% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 559 shares of the online travel company's stock worth $104,000 after acquiring an additional 419 shares during the period. 90.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Expedia Group Stock Up 2.4 %

NASDAQ:EXPE traded up $3.83 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $161.79. The stock had a trading volume of 2,694,277 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,000,533. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The stock has a market cap of $20.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.88, a PEG ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.65. The business's 50 day moving average is $164.71 and its 200 day moving average is $175.42. Expedia Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $107.25 and a fifty-two week high of $207.73.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The online travel company reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.06 by ($0.22). Expedia Group had a net margin of 9.01% and a return on equity of 52.41%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 12.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Expedia Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 6th were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 6th. This is an increase from Expedia Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. Expedia Group's dividend payout ratio is 17.68%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on EXPE shares. StockNews.com upgraded Expedia Group from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $210.00 target price (up from $180.00) on shares of Expedia Group in a report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Expedia Group from $190.00 to $150.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Expedia Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Expedia Group from $166.00 to $187.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $191.89.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Dara Khosrowshahi sold 10,000 shares of Expedia Group stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.79, for a total value of $1,697,900.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 158,505 shares in the company, valued at $26,912,563.95. This trade represents a 5.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.70, for a total transaction of $1,028,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 74,502 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $15,325,061.40. This represents a 6.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Expedia Group 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.