Gulf International Bank UK Ltd Trims Stock Position in Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE)

Gulf International Bank UK Ltd lessened its stake in shares of Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE) by 1.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,119 shares of the online travel company’s stock after selling 109 shares during the quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd’s holdings in Expedia Group were worth $2,071,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Expedia Group by 7.5% in the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 10,030 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $1,485,000 after acquiring an additional 696 shares during the period. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Expedia Group by 45.5% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 2,620 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $388,000 after acquiring an additional 819 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in shares of Expedia Group by 23.9% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 14,103 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $2,088,000 after acquiring an additional 2,725 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in shares of Expedia Group by 11.6% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 38,606 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $6,114,000 after acquiring an additional 4,011 shares during the period. Finally, Fernwood Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Expedia Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $207,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Expedia Group

In other Expedia Group news, Director Dara Khosrowshahi sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.79, for a total value of $1,697,900.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 158,505 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,912,563.95. This represents a 5.93 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.70, for a total transaction of $1,028,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 74,502 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,325,061.40. This trade represents a 6.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 25,000 shares of company stock worth $4,577,900. Corporate insiders own 6.80% of the company’s stock.

Expedia Group Price Performance

Expedia Group stock opened at $197.96 on Friday. Expedia Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $107.25 and a 52 week high of $207.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $187.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $168.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.51 billion, a PE ratio of 21.87, a P/E/G ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.82.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The online travel company reported $1.84 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.06 by ($0.22). Expedia Group had a return on equity of 52.41% and a net margin of 9.01%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 12.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Expedia Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 6th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.81%. This is a positive change from Expedia Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 6th. Expedia Group’s dividend payout ratio is 17.68%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of Expedia Group from $210.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. B. Riley reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $235.00 target price (up from $220.00) on shares of Expedia Group in a report on Friday, February 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Expedia Group from $208.00 to $236.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Robert W. Baird began coverage on shares of Expedia Group in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $225.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Expedia Group from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Nineteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $192.64.

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.