Moran Wealth Management LLC Decreases Stake in Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE)

Moran Wealth Management LLC reduced its stake in Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE) by 11.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 25,836 shares of the online travel company’s stock after selling 3,400 shares during the period. Moran Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Expedia Group were worth $4,814,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of EXPE. SRH Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Expedia Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust grew its position in shares of Expedia Group by 676.2% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 163 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Expedia Group by 709.8% in the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 332 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 291 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of Expedia Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $51,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Expedia Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $72,000. 90.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Expedia Group Stock Down 4.2 %

Expedia Group stock opened at $176.60 on Tuesday. Expedia Group, Inc. has a one year low of $107.25 and a one year high of $207.73. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $186.89 and a 200 day moving average of $171.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.72. The stock has a market cap of $22.76 billion, a PE ratio of 19.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.83.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The online travel company reported $1.84 earnings per share 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, sell-side analysts predict that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 12.28 EPS for the current year.

Expedia Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 6th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This is an increase from Expedia Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 6th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.91%. Expedia Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.68%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Expedia Group

In other Expedia Group 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 value of $1,697,900.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 158,505 shares of the company’s stock, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 74,502 shares in the company, valued at $15,325,061.40. This trade represents a 6.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 25,000 shares of company stock valued at $4,577,900. 6.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EXPE has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on Expedia Group from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Robert W. Baird assumed coverage on Expedia Group in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $225.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Expedia Group in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays lifted their price target on Expedia Group from $166.00 to $187.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price target on Expedia Group from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $192.64.

Expedia Group Profile

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.