Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE) Sees Large Decline in Short Interest

Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest during the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 6,708,399 shares, a decline of 18.3% from the February 26th total of 8,210,795 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,846,629 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.4 days. Approximately 6.0% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Insider Activity at Expedia Group

In related news, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 8,225 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owned 102,480 shares in the company, valued at $22,629,633.60. The trade was a 7.43% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 9.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Expedia Group

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its stake in shares of Expedia Group by 81.1% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 15,765 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $4,467,000 after acquiring an additional 7,062 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in Expedia Group by 17.8% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 61,211 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $17,344,000 after purchasing an additional 9,256 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its holdings in Expedia Group by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 201,805 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $57,151,000 after purchasing an additional 7,127 shares during the last quarter. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new stake in Expedia Group in the fourth quarter valued at $73,000. Finally, Sankala Group LLC acquired a new stake in Expedia Group during the 4th quarter worth about $72,000. 90.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Expedia Group Stock Performance

EXPE stock traded up $1.76 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $227.57. The stock had a trading volume of 716,970 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,696,282. The stock has a market cap of $27.89 billion, a PE ratio of 23.15, a P/E/G ratio of 0.70 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. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $235.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $244.82. Expedia Group has a 52-week low of $130.01 and a 52-week high of $303.80.

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

Expedia Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 5th were given a $0.48 dividend. 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 yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 5th. Expedia Group’s payout ratio is currently 19.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on EXPE shares. Susquehanna reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $240.00 price target on shares of Expedia Group in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $330.00 price objective on shares of Expedia Group in a report on Monday, March 16th. Benchmark lowered their price objective on Expedia Group from $310.00 to $290.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 13th. UBS Group set a $266.00 target price on Expedia Group in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Expedia Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twenty-two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $282.77.

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.