Sapient Capital LLC Sells 5,284 Shares of Expedia Group, Inc. $EXPE

Sapient Capital LLC decreased its position in Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE) by 7.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 64,876 shares of the online travel company’s stock after selling 5,284 shares during the period. Sapient Capital LLC owned about 0.05% of Expedia Group worth $14,975,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Motiv8 Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Expedia Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Expedia Group in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. lifted its position in Expedia Group by 970.6% in the third quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 182 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the period. DV Equities LLC acquired a new stake in Expedia Group during the fourth quarter worth $46,000. Finally, Cache Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Expedia Group during the first quarter worth $48,000. Institutional investors own 90.76% of the company’s stock.

Expedia Group Stock Performance

Shares of EXPE stock opened at $294.74 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $36.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.95, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.22. Expedia Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $174.05 and a 12-month high of $312.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $252.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $243.55.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The online travel company reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.55. Expedia Group had a net margin of 9.81% and a return on equity of 84.33%. The company had revenue of $3.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.40 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 14.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 17.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Expedia Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 28th were given a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 28th. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Expedia Group’s payout ratio is presently 16.90%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 4,702 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $233.00, for a total transaction of $1,095,566.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 105,448 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,569,384. This represents a 4.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Lance A. Soliday sold 940 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.86, for a total transaction of $208,548.40. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 14,083 shares in the company, valued at $3,124,454.38. This trade represents a 6.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 5.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $330.00 price target on shares of Expedia Group in a report on Monday, July 20th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Expedia Group from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Expedia Group from $307.00 to $303.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Expedia Group from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Gordon Haskett cut their price target on shares of Expedia Group from $320.00 to $290.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twenty-two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $290.76.

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.