Short Interest in Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE) Rises By 18.0%

Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE) saw a significant growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 8,210,795 shares, a growth of 18.0% from the February 12th total of 6,957,259 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 3,742,608 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.2 days. Approximately 7.4% of the shares of the company are short sold. Approximately 7.4% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 3,742,608 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.2 days.

Expedia Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:EXPE traded up $3.09 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $231.46. 1,539,270 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,869,716. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $247.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $243.38. Expedia Group has a 1 year low of $130.01 and a 1 year high of $303.80. The company has a market cap of $28.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.50, a PEG ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.73.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The online travel company reported $3.78 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.32 by $0.46. The company had revenue of $3.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.41 billion. Expedia Group had a net margin of 8.78% and a return on equity of 72.23%. The firm’s revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.39 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Expedia Group will post 12.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Expedia Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.48 per share. This is an increase from Expedia Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 5th. Expedia Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.49%.

Insider Transactions at Expedia Group

In other Expedia Group news, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 8,225 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.82, for a total value of $1,816,244.50. Following the sale, the insider owned 102,480 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,629,633.60. This represents a 7.43% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 9.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of EXPE. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in shares of Expedia Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $408,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Expedia Group by 5.0% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 5,455 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $917,000 after purchasing an additional 259 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Expedia Group during the second quarter worth approximately $596,000. Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in Expedia Group by 91.4% in the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,158 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $195,000 after purchasing an additional 553 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey raised its stake in Expedia Group by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 18,265 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $3,081,000 after purchasing an additional 295 shares during the last quarter. 90.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EXPE has been the subject of several analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their target price on shares of Expedia Group from $256.00 to $253.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Expedia Group from $281.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Expedia Group from $325.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Expedia Group from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, UBS Group set a $266.00 target price on shares of Expedia Group in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twenty-two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $281.65.

Expedia Group Company Profile

Expedia Group (NASDAQ: EXPE) is a global travel technology company that operates an online marketplace connecting consumers, travel suppliers and third‑party partners. The company’s platform enables search, comparison and booking of travel products and services, including hotels, airline tickets, vacation rentals, car rentals, cruises and packaged travel. Its portfolio comprises consumer-facing travel brands as well as corporate travel solutions and technology services that serve both leisure and business travelers.

Key offerings include consumer booking platforms and mobile apps that aggregate inventory from hotels, vacation rental managers, airlines and car rental companies, alongside ancillary travel services such as trip insurance and activities.