Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) Given New $290.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) had its price objective boosted by Morgan Stanley from $270.00 to $290.00 in a report published on Friday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage currently has an equal weight rating on the online travel company’s stock.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. DA Davidson reduced their price objective on shares of Expedia Group from $294.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Expedia Group in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $225.00 target price (down from $250.00) on shares of Expedia Group in a research note on Friday, February 13th. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $330.00 price target on shares of Expedia Group in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on shares of Expedia Group from $245.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twenty-three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $282.29.

Expedia Group Price Performance

Shares of EXPE stock opened at $225.81 on Friday. 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 has a fifty-two week low of $130.01 and a fifty-two week high of $303.80. The firm has a market cap of $27.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.92, a P/E/G ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.41. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $235.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $244.43.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The online travel company reported $3.78 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.32 by $0.46. Expedia Group had a return on equity of 72.23% and a net margin of 8.78%.The company had revenue of $3.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.41 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.39 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Expedia Group will post 12.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Expedia Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 5th were paid a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 5th. This is a positive change from Expedia Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Expedia Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.49%.

Insider Transactions at Expedia Group

In related news, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 8,225 shares of Expedia Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.82, for a total transaction of $1,816,244.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 102,480 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,629,633.60. This trade represents a 7.43% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 9.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Expedia Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Expedia Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new position in Expedia Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Expedia Group by 78.6% during the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Expedia Group during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Expedia Group during the third quarter valued at $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.76% of the company’s stock.

About Expedia Group

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.