QRG Capital Management Inc. Reduces Stock Holdings in Expedia Group, Inc. $EXPE

QRG Capital Management Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE) by 73.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,641 shares of the online travel company’s stock after selling 12,556 shares during the quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Expedia Group were worth $992,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its holdings in Expedia Group by 60.1% during the third quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 21,497 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $4,595,000 after buying an additional 8,072 shares during the last quarter. Washington Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Expedia Group by 24.0% during the 3rd quarter. Washington Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,100 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $663,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares during the period. Wright Investors Service Inc. increased its stake in shares of Expedia Group by 39.4% in the 3rd quarter. Wright Investors Service Inc. now owns 8,036 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $1,718,000 after purchasing an additional 2,270 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its holdings in Expedia Group by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 19,952 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $4,265,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the period. Finally, Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund lifted its position in Expedia Group by 15.6% during the third quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund now owns 20,634 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $4,411,000 after purchasing an additional 2,780 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.76% of the company’s stock.

Expedia Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ EXPE opened at $272.15 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $33.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.43. Expedia Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $130.01 and a 52-week high of $303.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.72, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.74. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $274.75 and its two-hundred day moving average is $232.18.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The online travel company reported $7.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.10 by $0.47. Expedia Group had a return on equity of 64.15% and a net margin of 9.66%.The firm had revenue of $4.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.28 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $6.13 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 12.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Expedia Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 19th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 19th. Expedia Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 15.31%.

Insider Activity at Expedia Group

In related news, CAO Lance A. Soliday sold 849 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $248.08, for a total value of $210,619.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 11,662 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,893,108.96. This trade represents a 6.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Craig A. Jacobson sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.55, for a total transaction of $814,650.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 30,858 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,379,489.90. The trade was a 8.86% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,849 shares of company stock valued at $1,283,270. 9.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on EXPE. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on Expedia Group from $185.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Expedia Group from $205.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Friday, November 7th. HSBC raised their target price on shares of Expedia Group from $272.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Piper Sandler upgraded shares of Expedia Group from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $190.00 to $250.00 in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, CICC Research raised shares of Expedia Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $271.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, November 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and twenty-four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $288.32.

About Expedia Group

Expedia Group (NASDAQ: EXPE) is a global travel technology company that operates an online marketplace connecting consumers, travel suppliers and third?party partners. The company’s platform enables search, comparison and booking of travel products and services, including hotels, airline tickets, vacation rentals, car rentals, cruises and packaged travel. Its portfolio comprises consumer-facing travel brands as well as corporate travel solutions and technology services that serve both leisure and business travelers.

Key offerings include consumer booking platforms and mobile apps that aggregate inventory from hotels, vacation rental managers, airlines and car rental companies, alongside ancillary travel services such as trip insurance and activities.