Royal London Asset Management Ltd. Grows Stock Position in Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE)

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE) by 1.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 52,231 shares of the online travel company’s stock after buying an additional 535 shares during the period. Royal London Asset Management Ltd.’s holdings in Expedia Group were worth $9,732,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Kazazian Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Expedia Group in the fourth quarter worth $1,528,000. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd increased its stake in Expedia Group by 147.8% in the fourth quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 7,851 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $1,463,000 after purchasing an additional 4,683 shares during the period. Vinva Investment Management Ltd increased its stake in Expedia Group by 583.2% in the fourth quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd now owns 87,563 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $16,352,000 after purchasing an additional 74,747 shares during the period. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd purchased a new stake in Expedia Group in the fourth quarter worth $396,000. Finally, Xponance Inc. increased its stake in Expedia Group by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 29,761 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $5,545,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.76% of the company’s stock.

Expedia Group Trading Up 0.4 %

Expedia Group stock opened at $173.81 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $183.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $172.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87. The company has a market capitalization of $22.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.83. Expedia Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $107.25 and a 52 week high of $207.73.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The online travel company reported $1.84 EPS 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%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 12.28 EPS for the current year.

Expedia Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 6th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.92%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 6th. This is an increase from Expedia Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. Expedia Group’s payout ratio is currently 17.68%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Expedia Group from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and set a $210.00 price target (up previously from $180.00) on shares of Expedia Group in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Citigroup raised their price target on Expedia Group from $200.00 to $217.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. DA Davidson raised their price target on Expedia Group from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price target on Expedia Group from $163.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Expedia Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $193.43.

Insider Activity at Expedia Group

In related news, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.70, for a total value of $1,028,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 74,502 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,325,061.40. This represents a 6.29 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Dara Khosrowshahi sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 158,505 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,912,563.95. The trade was a 5.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 25,000 shares of company stock worth $4,577,900. 6.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.