Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE) Shares Sold by AdvisorShares Investments LLC

AdvisorShares Investments LLC reduced its position in shares of Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE) by 13.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 967 shares of the online travel company’s stock after selling 150 shares during the period. AdvisorShares Investments LLC’s holdings in Expedia Group were worth $180,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Expedia Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $670,565,000. Bridgewater Associates LP boosted its holdings in Expedia Group by 73.4% in the fourth quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 854,262 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $159,175,000 after purchasing an additional 361,543 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new position in Expedia Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $58,367,000. Natixis raised its holdings in Expedia Group by 9,987.1% during the fourth quarter. Natixis now owns 302,614 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $56,386,000 after purchasing an additional 299,614 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Expedia Group by 245.0% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 366,414 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $68,274,000 after buying an additional 260,197 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.76% of the company’s stock.

Expedia Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ EXPE opened at $160.15 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87. The stock has a market cap of $20.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.65. Expedia Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $107.25 and a fifty-two week high of $207.73. The business has a fifty day moving average of $167.11 and a 200-day moving average of $175.42.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The online travel company reported $1.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.06 by ($0.22). Expedia Group had a net margin of 9.01% and a return on equity of 52.41%. As a group, analysts predict that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 12.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Expedia Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 6th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 6th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.00%. This is a positive change from Expedia Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. Expedia Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.68%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Dara Khosrowshahi sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.79, for a total transaction of $1,697,900.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 158,505 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,912,563.95. This represents a 5.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.70, for a total value of $1,028,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 74,502 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,325,061.40. The trade was a 6.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EXPE has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Argus lifted their price target on shares of Expedia Group from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 target price on shares of Expedia Group in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $210.00 target price (up from $180.00) on shares of Expedia Group in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Expedia Group from $163.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Expedia Group from $208.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Nineteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Expedia Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $191.89.

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.