Wealthfront Advisers LLC Raises Holdings in Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE)

Wealthfront Advisers LLC raised its stake in Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE) by 1,632.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 104,653 shares of the online travel company’s stock after purchasing an additional 98,611 shares during the period. Wealthfront Advisers LLC’s holdings in Expedia Group were worth $19,500,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Expedia Group Stock Down 7.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:EXPE opened at $163.75 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $186.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $171.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.10 billion, a PE ratio of 18.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.72. Expedia Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $107.25 and a 1 year high of $207.73.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The online travel company reported $1.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.06 by ($0.22). Expedia Group had a return on equity of 52.41% and a net margin of 9.01%. Analysts predict 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 given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.98%. This is a positive change from Expedia Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 6th. Expedia Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.68%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Argus upped their price objective on Expedia Group from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. B. Riley reissued a “buy” rating and set a $235.00 target price (up previously from $220.00) on shares of Expedia Group in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Robert W. Baird assumed coverage on Expedia Group in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $225.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Expedia Group from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Expedia Group from $166.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $192.64.

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.