Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) Upgraded by Melius to “Buy” Rating

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) was upgraded by analysts at Melius from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage currently has a $220.00 target price on the online travel company’s stock. Melius’ price objective would suggest a potential upside of 20.66% from the company’s current price.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Susquehanna lifted their price target on Expedia Group from $145.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Robert W. Baird began coverage on Expedia Group in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $225.00 target price for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $130.00 price target on shares of Expedia Group in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Benchmark lifted their price objective on shares of Expedia Group from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Expedia Group from $130.00 to $159.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Expedia Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $171.63.

Expedia Group Stock Performance

Shares of EXPE stock opened at $182.33 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $181.80 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $152.85. Expedia Group has a one year low of $107.25 and a one year high of $192.34. The stock has a market cap of $23.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.73.

Insider Activity

In other Expedia Group news, Director Dara Khosrowshahi sold 10,000 shares of Expedia Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.87, for a total value of $1,568,700.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 188,505 shares in the company, valued at $29,570,779.35. The trade was a 5.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Lance A. Soliday sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $181.99, for a total transaction of $1,273,930.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 11,187 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,035,922.13. This trade represents a 38.49 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 28,951 shares of company stock worth $5,045,310. Insiders own 6.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Expedia Group

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Expedia Group by 709.8% during the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 332 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 291 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of Expedia Group in the third quarter valued at about $51,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC bought a new position in shares of Expedia Group during the second quarter worth about $65,000. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC acquired a new position in shares of Expedia Group in the third quarter worth approximately $74,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in Expedia Group by 299.3% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 559 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $104,000 after acquiring an additional 419 shares during the last quarter. 90.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.