Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Strong-Buy

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) was upgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report issued on Thursday.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Susquehanna increased their price target on shares of Expedia Group from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $130.00 price objective on shares of Expedia Group in a report on Monday, September 23rd. Wedbush upped their price objective on shares of Expedia Group from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Expedia Group from $140.00 to $130.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Truist Financial started coverage on shares of Expedia Group in a report on Friday, September 6th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $148.00 price objective on the stock. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $149.73.

Expedia Group Stock Performance

Expedia Group stock opened at $149.09 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $132.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $128.44. Expedia Group has a 1-year low of $92.48 and a 1-year high of $160.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.45, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The stock has a market cap of $20.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 1.79.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The online travel company reported $3.51 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.17 by $0.34. Expedia Group had a net margin of 6.09% and a return on equity of 47.55%. The business had revenue of $3.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.34 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Expedia Group will post 8.98 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 5,417 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.60, for a total value of $729,128.20. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 84,543 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,379,487.80. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 12,602 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.50, for a total value of $1,657,163.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 89,960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,829,740. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 5,417 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.60, for a total transaction of $729,128.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 84,543 shares in the company, valued at $11,379,487.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 8.07% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Managment Co. purchased a new position in shares of Expedia Group in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. ORG Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Expedia Group by 4,525.0% in the 1st quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 185 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Expedia Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of Expedia Group by 93.8% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 217 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Expedia Group in the 1st quarter valued at $40,000. 90.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.