Wall Street Zen Downgrades Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) to Buy

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Expedia Group from “strong buy” to “buy.” Overall analyst sentiment is more cautious, with 17 Buy ratings and 22 Hold ratings producing a consensus “Hold” rating and average price target of $310.88.
• Expedia reported quarterly adjusted earnings of $5.76 per share and revenue of $4.32 billion, beating estimates of $5.22 and $4.17 billion, respectively. Revenue rose 14% year over year.
• EXPE opened at $310.68, near the analyst consensus target, after trading between $185.34 and $331.31 over the past year. Institutional investors own approximately 90.76% of the stock, while recent insider transactions involved share sales.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE - Get Free Report) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued on Saturday.

Several other equities research analysts have also weighed in on EXPE. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Expedia Group from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Wedbush restated an "outperform" rating and set a $334.00 target price on shares of Expedia Group in a research report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings lowered Expedia Group from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Truist Financial upped their price target on Expedia Group from $246.00 to $309.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Piper Sandler reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $325.00 price objective (up from $245.00) on shares of Expedia Group in a research note on Thursday. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twenty-two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Expedia Group has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $310.88.

Expedia Group Price Performance

NASDAQ:EXPE opened at $310.68 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.21, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.80. The company has a 50-day moving average of $260.84 and a 200-day moving average of $244.48. Expedia Group has a 52 week low of $185.34 and a 52 week high of $331.31. The company has a market capitalization of $38.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.37, a PEG ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.22.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The online travel company reported $5.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $5.22 by $0.54. Expedia Group had a net margin of 12.97% and a return on equity of 87.32%. The business had revenue of $4.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.17 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.24 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 14.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Expedia Group will post 17.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 4,702 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $233.00, for a total value of $1,095,566.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 105,448 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,569,384. This trade represents a 4.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Lance A. Soliday sold 940 shares of Expedia Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.86, for a total value of $208,548.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 14,083 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,124,454.38. This represents a 6.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 5.20% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Expedia Group

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI acquired a new position in shares of Expedia Group during the second quarter worth approximately $204,000. Plato Investment Management Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Expedia Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $2,562,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Expedia Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $166,203,000. S&CO Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Expedia Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $4,167,000. Finally, Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Expedia Group by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,146 shares of the online travel company's stock worth $293,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. 90.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Expedia Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting Expedia Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 results exceeded expectations. Expedia reported adjusted earnings of $5.76 per share versus the $5.22 consensus estimate, while revenue increased 14% year over year to $4.32 billion, topping forecasts of $4.17 billion. Stronger brands, B2B momentum and cost discipline supported the performance. Expedia Group Q2 Earnings and Revenues Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its outlook. Expedia increased its annual revenue forecast and expects fiscal 2026 gross bookings of approximately $129.5 billion to $130.8 billion. It also raised its expected adjusted EBITDA margin expansion to 150–175 basis points, citing resilient domestic travel demand. Expedia raises annual forecast on resilient domestic travel demand
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains broadly favorable. B. Riley raised its price target to $390 and kept a Buy rating, BTIG lifted its target to $350 and maintained Buy, and Wedbush reaffirmed Outperform with a $334 target. RBC also increased its target to $330, although it retained a Sector Perform rating.
• Positive Sentiment: AI and B2B investments are viewed as additional growth engines. Expedia highlighted artificial-intelligence initiatives and the expansion of its B2B business as supports for longer-term growth following the strong quarter. Expedia Leans on AI and B2B Growth to Lift Outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its target modestly to $307 but maintained an Equal Weight rating, implying limited upside at recent trading levels. Cantor Fitzgerald also kept a Neutral rating after raising its target to $310.
• Neutral Sentiment: Expedia declared a quarterly dividend of $0.48 per share, with payment scheduled for September 17, offering a relatively small annualized yield of about 0.6%.
• Negative Sentiment: Some European markets remain soft, creating a regional demand risk despite stronger domestic travel and the upgraded companywide outlook.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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