Morgan Stanley Boosts Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) Price Target to $290.00

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley raised its price target on Expedia Group to $290 (from $270) while keeping an "equal weight" rating, implying roughly a 20% upside from the stock's prior close.
• Expedia recently beat quarterly estimates (EPS $3.78 vs. $3.32; revenue $3.55B vs. $3.41B), but analysts' consensus remains a "Hold" with an average price target of $282.74 (14 Buys vs. 22 Holds).

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE - Get Free Report) had its target price raised by Morgan Stanley from $270.00 to $290.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has an "equal weight" rating on the online travel company's stock. Morgan Stanley's price target would suggest a potential upside of 20.25% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Expedia Group from $311.00 to $310.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $244.00 price target on Expedia Group in a report on Friday, February 13th. Susquehanna reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $240.00 price target on shares of Expedia Group in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price target on Expedia Group from $256.00 to $253.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Expedia Group from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twenty-two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Expedia Group has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $282.74.

Expedia Group Stock Down 1.6%

Expedia Group stock traded down $4.05 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $241.17. The company's stock had a trading volume of 58,616 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,413,105. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $232.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $248.23. The company has a market cap of $29.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.22, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.33. Expedia Group has a fifty-two week low of $144.69 and a fifty-two week high of $303.80. 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 (NASDAQ:EXPE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $3.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.41 billion. Expedia Group had a return on equity of 72.23% and a net margin of 8.78%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.39 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Expedia Group will post 16.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 8,225 shares of Expedia Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.82, for a total transaction of $1,816,244.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 102,480 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,629,633.60. This trade represents a 7.43% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 9.13% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Expedia Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its stake in Expedia Group by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 7,389 shares of the online travel company's stock valued at $1,706,000 after buying an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Beacon Financial Advisory LLC lifted its stake in Expedia Group by 3.0% in the 1st quarter. Beacon Financial Advisory LLC now owns 1,628 shares of the online travel company's stock valued at $376,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Expedia Group by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC now owns 38,318 shares of the online travel company's stock valued at $8,847,000 after buying an additional 534 shares in the last quarter. Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC lifted its stake in Expedia Group by 37.4% in the 1st quarter. Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC now owns 2,442 shares of the online travel company's stock valued at $564,000 after buying an additional 665 shares in the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors acquired a new position in Expedia Group in the 1st quarter valued at $314,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.76% of the company's stock.

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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