Blue Grotto Capital LLC Acquires Shares of 213,902 Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE)

Blue Grotto Capital LLC bought a new position in Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 213,902 shares of the online travel company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,755,000. Expedia Group makes up approximately 5.2% of Blue Grotto Capital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest holding. Blue Grotto Capital LLC owned 0.14% of Expedia Group as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in EXPE. Raymond James Trust N.A. raised its holdings in Expedia Group by 17.6% in the first quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 1,364 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $267,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Expedia Group by 6.2% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 301,932 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $59,077,000 after acquiring an additional 17,680 shares in the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL grew its holdings in Expedia Group by 16.1% in the first quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 6,052 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $1,184,000 after purchasing an additional 838 shares during the period. Prudential PLC bought a new position in shares of Expedia Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $397,000. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers increased its stake in shares of Expedia Group by 50.9% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 3,751 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $734,000 after purchasing an additional 1,265 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.15% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. B. Riley started coverage on Expedia Group in a research report on Wednesday, June 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $160.00 price objective for the company. Gordon Haskett raised shares of Expedia Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 16th. TheStreet raised shares of Expedia Group from a “c” rating to a “b-” rating in a report on Thursday, August 3rd. Wedbush assumed coverage on shares of Expedia Group in a research note on Monday, June 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $116.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Melius began coverage on Expedia Group in a research report on Monday, July 31st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $135.00 price objective on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Expedia Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $129.12.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.00, for a total transaction of $660,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 75,750 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,332,500. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 8.07% of the company’s stock.

Expedia Group Stock Performance

EXPE opened at $108.49 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.10, a PEG ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 1.63. Expedia Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $82.39 and a fifty-two week high of $124.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 0.83. The company has a fifty day moving average of $112.20 and a 200 day moving average of $103.27.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 3rd. The online travel company reported $2.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.54. The firm had revenue of $3.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.37 billion. Expedia Group had a return on equity of 26.36% and a net margin of 7.33%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 7.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Expedia Group Profile

Expedia Group, Inc operates as an online travel company in the United States and internationally. The company operates through Retail, B2B, and trivago segments. Its brand portfolio includes Brand Expedia, a full-service online travel brand with localized websites; Hotels.com for marketing and distributing lodging accommodations; Vrbo, an online marketplace for the alternative accommodations; Orbitz; Travelocity; Wotif Group; CheapTickets; ebookers; Expedia; Hotwire; CarRentals.com; Classic Vacations; and Expedia Cruise.