Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) Cut to “Hold” at Zacks Research

Zacks Research cut shares of Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report published on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on the company. UBS Group set a $266.00 price target on Expedia Group in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Expedia Group from $329.00 to $315.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $245.00 price objective on shares of Expedia Group in a report on Friday, February 13th. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Expedia Group from $210.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Expedia Group from $180.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twenty-three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Expedia Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $281.65.

Expedia Group Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of Expedia Group stock opened at $236.26 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75. Expedia Group has a 12 month low of $130.01 and a 12 month high of $303.80. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $238.36 and a 200 day simple moving average of $244.45. The stock has a market cap of $28.95 billion, a PE ratio of 23.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 1.41.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The online travel company reported $3.78 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.32 by $0.46. Expedia Group had a return on equity of 72.23% and a net margin of 8.78%.The business had revenue of $3.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.41 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.39 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Expedia Group will post 12.28 EPS for the current year.

Expedia Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 5th. This is a positive change from Expedia Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Expedia Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Expedia Group news, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 8,225 shares of Expedia Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.82, for a total value of $1,816,244.50. Following the transaction, the insider owned 102,480 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,629,633.60. The trade was a 7.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 9.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Expedia Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new position in Expedia Group during the 4th quarter worth about $408,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Expedia Group by 5.0% in the first 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 in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Expedia Group in the second quarter valued at about $596,000. MAI Capital Management boosted its position in shares of Expedia Group by 82.2% during the second quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 1,084 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $183,000 after buying an additional 489 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of Expedia Group by 24.7% during the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 208,511 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $35,172,000 after buying an additional 41,319 shares during the period. 90.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Expedia Group

Here are the key news stories impacting Expedia Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Reported short interest dropped ~18% to ~6.71M shares (about 6.0% of shares sold short) with a days-to-cover of ~2.4 — lower short exposure can reduce downward pressure and the risk of coordinated selling.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks published a comparative piece arguing EXPE looks stronger than Booking Holdings on growth, bookings and valuation, which may support investor interest. Expedia vs. Booking: Which Travel Stock Is a Stronger Pick?
• Neutral Sentiment: Street consensus remains around a “Hold” rating, reflecting mixed conviction among analysts rather than a clear buy/sell signal. Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Analysts
• Neutral Sentiment: Several media pieces (MSN, Kalkine) are running investor guides and sector commentary on EXPE — useful for context but unlikely to be an immediate catalyst. Should You Invest in Expedia Group (EXPE)? Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) Tracks Sector Movement In Nasdaq Index
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple short-interest feed entries show “large increase” but list 0 shares / NaN changes — likely reporting artifacts in the data feed rather than real market moves; treat those items with caution.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded EXPE from “strong-buy” to “hold,” removing a bullish analyst endorsement and likely contributing to near-term selling pressure. Zacks Downgrades EXPE

About Expedia Group

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.