Sanford C. Bernstein Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) Stock Price

Key Points

• Sanford C. Bernstein lowered its price target on Expedia from $256 to $253 and maintained a "market perform" rating, implying about a 9.2% upside from the prior close.
• Analyst consensus is a "Hold" with an average price target of $281.65, reflecting mixed views (13 Buys and 22 Holds) and a wide range of individual targets.
• Expedia recently beat quarterly estimates (EPS $3.78 vs. $3.32; revenue $3.55B vs. $3.41B) but shares have traded down (~4.1%) to roughly $231.66; insiders sold shares and institutions own about 90.8% of the stock.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE - Get Free Report) had its price target dropped by investment analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein from $256.00 to $253.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has a "market perform" rating on the online travel company's stock. Sanford C. Bernstein's price objective would indicate a potential upside of 9.21% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on EXPE. UBS Group set a $266.00 target price on shares of Expedia Group in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Citizens Jmp reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Expedia Group in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $245.00 price objective on Expedia Group in a report on Friday, February 13th. Argus lowered their target price on shares of Expedia Group from $345.00 to $250.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Expedia Group from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twenty-two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Expedia Group currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $281.65.

Expedia Group Trading Down 4.1%

Shares of EXPE stock opened at $231.66 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.73. The company has a market capitalization of $28.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.52, a PEG ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.41. Expedia Group has a 52-week low of $130.01 and a 52-week high of $303.80. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $250.96 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $243.05.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The online travel company reported $3.78 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.41 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.39 earnings per share. Expedia Group's revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Expedia Group will post 12.28 EPS 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 dated 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 owned 102,480 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,629,633.60. The trade was a 7.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 9.13% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Expedia Group

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC boosted its position in Expedia Group by 0.4% during 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 period. RHS Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Expedia Group by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. RHS Financial LLC now owns 1,030 shares of the online travel company's stock worth $292,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in Expedia Group by 8.2% during the 4th quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 567 shares of the online travel company's stock valued at $161,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC raised its position in Expedia Group by 16.0% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 319 shares of the online travel company's stock valued at $90,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JFS Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings 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 worth $28,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. 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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