Franklin Resources Inc. Lowers Holdings in Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE)

Franklin Resources Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE) by 1.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 223,094 shares of the online travel company’s stock after selling 4,183 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 0.17% of Expedia Group worth $33,556,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in Expedia Group during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of Expedia Group by 93.8% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 217 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Expedia Group by 709.8% during 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 purchased a new position in shares of Expedia Group in the 3rd quarter worth $51,000. Finally, Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC acquired a new position in Expedia Group in the third quarter valued at $74,000. 90.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Expedia Group Stock Down 2.4 %

NASDAQ:EXPE opened at $176.23 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.73. The company has a market capitalization of $22.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.84. Expedia Group, Inc. has a one year low of $107.25 and a one year high of $192.34. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $173.47 and a 200 day simple moving average of $146.37.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Lance A. Soliday sold 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $181.99, for a total transaction of $1,273,930.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 11,187 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,035,922.13. This represents a 38.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 1,951 shares of Expedia Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total transaction of $351,180.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 85,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,345,000. This represents a 2.24 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 38,951 shares of company stock valued at $6,197,710 in the last quarter. Insiders own 6.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on Expedia Group from $155.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. TD Cowen cut shares of Expedia Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $130.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Expedia Group from $134.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Expedia Group from $150.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Expedia Group from $135.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $169.70.

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.