Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Acquires 9,052 Shares of Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE)

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE) by 5.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 176,023 shares of the online travel company’s stock after buying an additional 9,052 shares during the quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned about 0.14% of Expedia Group worth $32,798,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its stake in Expedia Group by 17.8% during the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 30,744 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $5,729,000 after buying an additional 4,656 shares during the period. Teamwork Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Expedia Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,791,000. Clare Market Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Expedia Group in the 4th quarter worth $319,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Expedia Group by 17.8% in the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 60,003 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $11,180,000 after purchasing an additional 9,086 shares during the period. Finally, Cigna Investments Inc. New bought a new stake in Expedia Group during the 4th quarter valued at $238,000. Institutional investors own 90.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Dara Khosrowshahi sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.79, for a total value of $1,697,900.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 158,505 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,912,563.95. This trade represents a 5.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 5,000 shares of the business’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 transaction, the insider now owns 74,502 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,325,061.40. The trade was a 6.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 25,000 shares of company stock worth $4,577,900 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 6.80% of the company’s stock.

Expedia Group Price Performance

EXPE opened at $168.10 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $21.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.57, a PEG ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.83. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average price of $182.46 and a 200-day moving average price of $174.47. Expedia Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $107.25 and a twelve month high of $207.73.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The online travel company reported $1.84 earnings per share (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%. Equities analysts expect that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 12.28 EPS for the current year.

Expedia Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 6th were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 6th. This is a positive change from Expedia Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. Expedia Group’s payout ratio is presently 17.68%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on EXPE shares. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $210.00 price objective (up from $180.00) on shares of Expedia Group in a report on Friday, February 7th. Truist Financial lifted 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. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Expedia Group in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Melius raised Expedia Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $220.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Expedia Group from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Nineteen 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $193.43.

About Expedia Group

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.