Maryland State Retirement & Pension System Sells 607 Shares of Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE)

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System lowered its position in Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE) by 8.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,629 shares of the online travel company’s stock after selling 607 shares during the quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in Expedia Group were worth $1,235,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its stake in Expedia Group by 17.8% in the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 30,744 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $5,729,000 after purchasing an additional 4,656 shares in the last quarter. Teamwork Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in Expedia Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,791,000. Clare Market Investments LLC bought a new position in Expedia Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $319,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Expedia Group by 17.8% in the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 60,003 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $11,180,000 after purchasing an additional 9,086 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cigna Investments Inc. New bought a new stake in Expedia Group during the 4th quarter valued at $238,000. Institutional investors own 90.76% of the company’s stock.

Expedia Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ EXPE opened at $173.81 on Friday. Expedia Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $107.25 and a fifty-two week high of $207.73. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $22.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.21, a PEG ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.83. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $183.68 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $172.76.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The online travel company reported $1.84 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%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 12.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Expedia Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 6th. This is a boost from Expedia Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.92%. Expedia Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.68%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Dara Khosrowshahi sold 10,000 shares of Expedia Group 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 sale, the director now directly owns 158,505 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,912,563.95. The trade was a 5.93 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 5,000 shares of Expedia Group 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 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. Insiders have sold 25,000 shares of company stock worth $4,577,900 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 6.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EXPE has been the topic of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Expedia Group from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Expedia Group from $168.00 to $199.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Bank of America raised Expedia Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $187.00 to $221.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Robert W. Baird initiated coverage on Expedia Group in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $225.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Hsbc Global Res raised Expedia Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Nineteen equities 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $193.43.

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.