Vest Financial LLC Acquires 87,147 Shares of Expedia Group, Inc. $EXPE

Vest Financial LLC lifted its stake in Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE) by 37.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 321,005 shares of the online travel company’s stock after buying an additional 87,147 shares during the quarter. Expedia Group makes up about 0.9% of Vest Financial LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in Expedia Group were worth $84,540,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in EXPE. Plato Investment Management Ltd bought a new stake in Expedia Group in the second quarter worth $2,562,000. Tidal Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Expedia Group by 47.4% during the second quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 32,146 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $8,226,000 after acquiring an additional 10,331 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Expedia Group by 17.8% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 61,211 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $17,344,000 after purchasing an additional 9,256 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in shares of Expedia Group during the 2nd quarter worth $166,203,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in Expedia Group by 67.7% during the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 780,140 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $199,622,000 after purchasing an additional 314,984 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.76% of the company’s stock.

Expedia Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ:EXPE opened at $285.64 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.21, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.81, a PEG ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.36. The company’s 50-day moving average is $291.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $266.05. Expedia Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $185.34 and a 1-year high of $342.00.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The online travel company reported $5.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.22 by $0.54. Expedia Group had a net margin of 12.97% and a return on equity of 87.32%. The firm had revenue of $4.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.17 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $4.24 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 14.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 17.26 EPS for the current year.

Expedia Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 27th were given a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 27th. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Expedia Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 11.97%.

Insider Activity at Expedia Group

In other Expedia Group news, CAO Lance A. Soliday sold 2,810 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $323.65, for a total value of $909,456.50. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 12,006 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,885,741.90. This trade represents a 18.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 1,004 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $335.00, for a total transaction of $336,340.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 104,331 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $34,950,885. The trade was a 0.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 11,950 shares of company stock valued at $3,881,995. 5.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Argus lifted their target price on Expedia Group from $270.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Expedia Group from $307.00 to $275.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Morgan Stanley lowered Expedia Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and set a $235.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. Evercore set a $430.00 price target on shares of Expedia Group in a research note on Monday, August 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $335.00 price objective on shares of Expedia Group in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Eighteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Expedia Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $316.37.

Expedia Group Profile

Expedia Group, Inc is an online travel company that connects travelers with a broad range of travel products and services. Its offerings include hotel and vacation-rental accommodations, flights, car rentals, cruises, activities, and travel packages. The company serves consumers through its online travel brands and also provides technology, distribution, and marketing solutions to travel suppliers and other business partners.

Expedia Group’s consumer brands include Expedia, Hotels.com, Vrbo, Orbitz, Travelocity, Wotif, ebookers, CheapTickets, Abritel, and FeWo-direkt, among others.