Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) Reaches New 52-Week High After Dividend Announcement

Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Friday following a dividend announcement from the company. The stock traded as high as $193.50 and last traded at $200.08, with a volume of 159633 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $172.57.

The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This is a positive change from Expedia Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.79%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EXPE has been the topic of several research reports. DA Davidson raised their price target on Expedia Group from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Expedia Group from $208.00 to $236.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Melius raised shares of Expedia Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $220.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Expedia Group from $172.00 to $168.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Expedia Group from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Nineteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Expedia Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $181.25.

Expedia Group Trading Up 17.1 %

The stock has a market cap of $25.95 billion, a PE ratio of 25.81, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.82. The company’s fifty day moving average is $182.07 and its 200-day moving average is $159.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.73.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The online travel company reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.06 by ($0.22). Expedia Group had a net margin of 7.97% and a return on equity of 49.25%. On average, analysts predict that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 8.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Expedia Group news, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 1,951 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider now owns 85,250 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,345,000. This represents a 2.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Dara Khosrowshahi sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.15, for a total value of $1,851,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 168,505 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,198,700.75. This trade represents a 5.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 28,951 shares of company stock worth $5,174,510. Corporate insiders own 6.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Expedia Group

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EXPE. SRH Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Expedia Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its stake in shares of Expedia Group by 676.2% in the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 163 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Expedia Group by 709.8% in the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 332 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 291 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in Expedia Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $51,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Expedia Group during the 4th quarter worth $72,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.76% of the company’s stock.

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.