Expedia Group’s (EXPE) “Market Perform” Rating Reaffirmed at JMP Securities

JMP Securities restated their market perform rating on shares of Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) in a report released on Friday morning,Benzinga reports.

EXPE has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Expedia Group from $168.00 to $199.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. Melius Research raised Expedia Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Robert W. Baird started coverage on shares of Expedia Group in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $225.00 price objective on the stock. Bank of America upgraded shares of Expedia Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $187.00 to $221.00 in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Baird R W upgraded shares of Expedia Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $187.93.

Expedia Group Trading Up 17.3 %

NASDAQ EXPE opened at $202.37 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.73. Expedia Group has a 12 month low of $107.25 and a 12 month high of $205.12. The company has a market capitalization of $25.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.82. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $182.07 and its 200 day moving average price is $159.92.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The online travel company reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.06 by ($0.22). Expedia Group had a net margin of 7.97% and a return on equity of 49.25%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Expedia Group will post 8.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Expedia Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.79%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 6th. This is an increase from Expedia Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34.

Insider Buying and Selling at Expedia Group

In other Expedia Group news, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 1,951 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total value of $351,180.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 85,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,345,000. This trade represents a 2.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Lance A. Soliday sold 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $181.99, for a total value of $1,273,930.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 11,187 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,035,922.13. The trade was a 38.49 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 28,951 shares of company stock valued at $5,174,510 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 6.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Expedia Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. SRH Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Expedia Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust grew its holdings in Expedia Group by 676.2% during the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 163 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Expedia Group by 709.8% during the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 332 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 291 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in Expedia Group during the 3rd quarter worth $51,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Expedia Group in the 4th quarter worth $72,000. 90.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Expedia Group Company 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.