Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) Shares Gap Up – Here’s Why

Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE)’s share price gapped up before the market opened on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $180.64, but opened at $187.09. Expedia Group shares last traded at $184.84, with a volume of 267,000 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on EXPE. Barclays increased their price objective on Expedia Group from $134.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Benchmark raised their price target on shares of Expedia Group from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Expedia Group from $137.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. DA Davidson raised their target price on shares of Expedia Group from $135.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Expedia Group from $130.00 to $159.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $169.70.

Expedia Group Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $23.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.84. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $173.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $146.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.73.

Insider Activity at Expedia Group

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Expedia Group

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas purchased a new stake in shares of Expedia Group in the 3rd quarter worth $1,930,000. Optimist Retirement Group LLC purchased a new stake in Expedia Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $246,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Expedia Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $2,958,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Expedia Group by 6.8% in the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 9,124 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $1,351,000 after buying an additional 584 shares during the period. Finally, Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. increased its stake in Expedia Group by 16.3% in the third quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. now owns 216,685 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $32,074,000 after purchasing an additional 30,396 shares during the period. 90.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.