Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) Given New $270.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) had its price target upped by Morgan Stanley from $180.00 to $270.00 in a research note released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an equal weight rating on the online travel company’s stock.

Several other research firms also recently issued reports on EXPE. Mizuho increased their target price on Expedia Group from $240.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, November 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Expedia Group from $253.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. BNP Paribas Exane started coverage on Expedia Group in a research note on Monday, November 24th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. CICC Research upgraded Expedia Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $271.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Expedia Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and twenty-four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Expedia Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $285.16.

Expedia Group Price Performance

NASDAQ EXPE opened at $299.97 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.72. The company has a market cap of $36.76 billion, a PE ratio of 28.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.43. Expedia Group has a 52 week low of $130.01 and a 52 week high of $303.80. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $270.70 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $228.23.

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

Expedia Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 19th were given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 19th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Expedia Group’s payout ratio is 15.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Expedia Group

In related news, Director Madhumita Moina Banerjee sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $258.00, for a total transaction of $258,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 2,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $752,328. This trade represents a 25.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Craig A. Jacobson sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.55, for a total value of $814,650.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 30,858 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,379,489.90. The trade was a 8.86% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 4,849 shares of company stock worth $1,283,270 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 9.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in EXPE. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Expedia Group during the fourth quarter worth about $408,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in Expedia Group by 5.0% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 5,455 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $917,000 after purchasing an additional 259 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its position in Expedia Group by 166.0% during the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 15,117 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $2,541,000 after purchasing an additional 9,434 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Expedia Group by 117.4% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 576 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $97,000 after buying an additional 311 shares during the period. Finally, Strs Ohio bought a new stake in shares of Expedia Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $972,000. 90.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Expedia Group Company Profile

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.