Moran Wealth Management LLC Decreases Holdings in Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE)

Moran Wealth Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE) by 11.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 25,836 shares of the online travel company’s stock after selling 3,400 shares during the quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Expedia Group were worth $4,814,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in EXPE. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Expedia Group by 33.6% during the 3rd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 4,550 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $673,000 after purchasing an additional 1,145 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. increased its position in shares of Expedia Group by 51.2% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 18,608 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $2,754,000 after purchasing an additional 6,298 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Expedia Group during the 3rd quarter worth $118,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Expedia Group by 709.8% during the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 332 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 291 shares during the period. Finally, Entropy Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Expedia Group during the 3rd quarter worth $736,000. 90.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Expedia Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ EXPE opened at $176.60 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $22.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.51, a P/E/G ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.83. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87. Expedia Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $107.25 and a 1-year high of $207.73. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $186.89 and its 200 day moving average is $171.27.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) last announced 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 9.01% and a return on equity of 52.41%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 12.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Expedia Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly 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 represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.91%. This is a boost 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 (DPR) is currently 17.68%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on EXPE shares. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Expedia Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. B. Riley reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $235.00 price target (up previously from $220.00) on shares of Expedia Group in a research note on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Expedia Group in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays increased their price target on Expedia Group from $166.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, HSBC upgraded Expedia Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $215.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $192.64.

Insider Activity at Expedia Group

In related news, Director Dara Khosrowshahi sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.79, for a total transaction of $1,697,900.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 158,505 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,912,563.95. This trade represents a 5.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 5,000 shares of Expedia Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.70, for a total value of $1,028,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 74,502 shares in the company, valued at $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 three months, insiders have sold 25,000 shares of company stock valued at $4,577,900. Corporate insiders own 6.80% of the company’s stock.

Expedia Group 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.