Expedia Group’s (EXPE) “Buy” Rating Reiterated at Benchmark

Benchmark reissued their buy rating on shares of Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) in a research report released on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $180.00 target price on the online travel company’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on EXPE. HSBC reduced their price objective on shares of Expedia Group from $166.00 to $132.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 7th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Expedia Group from $158.00 to $138.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Expedia Group from $136.00 to $128.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. DA Davidson reissued a neutral rating and set a $135.00 price target (down previously from $152.00) on shares of Expedia Group in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of Expedia Group from $150.00 to $145.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $148.12.

Expedia Group Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of EXPE opened at $124.25 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $16.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 1.78. Expedia Group has a 12-month low of $92.48 and a 12-month high of $160.05. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $120.19 and its 200 day moving average price is $133.86. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.93.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The online travel company reported ($0.39) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.96) by $0.57. The firm had revenue of $2.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.80 billion. Expedia Group had a net margin of 6.18% and a return on equity of 41.63%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Expedia Group will post 9.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Expedia Group

In other news, Director Craig A. Jacobson sold 6,722 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.71, for a total transaction of $757,636.62. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 32,620 shares in the company, valued at $3,676,600.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, CAO Lance A. Soliday sold 544 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.38, for a total transaction of $61,678.72. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 11,187 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,268,382.06. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Craig A. Jacobson sold 6,722 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.71, for a total value of $757,636.62. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 32,620 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,676,600.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 8.07% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Expedia Group

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. ORG Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Expedia Group by 4,525.0% during the first quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 185 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the period. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Managment Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Expedia Group during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. City State Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Expedia Group by 157.3% during the fourth quarter. City State Bank now owns 193 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the period. CVA Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Expedia Group during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Expedia Group during the first quarter worth $40,000. 90.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Expedia Group Company 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.