Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) Stock Price Down 7.2% Following Analyst Downgrade

Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE) shares dropped 7.2% on Monday after Citigroup lowered their price target on the stock from $281.00 to $225.00. Citigroup currently has a buy rating on the stock. Expedia Group traded as low as $189.19 and last traded at $188.7520. Approximately 527,455 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 80% from the average daily volume of 2,695,567 shares. The stock had previously closed at $203.48.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on Expedia Group in a research report on Monday, November 24th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Expedia Group from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. UBS Group set a $266.00 price target on Expedia Group in a report on Friday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Expedia Group from $225.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of Expedia Group from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twenty-two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Expedia Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $282.55.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Madhumita Moina Banerjee sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $258.00, for a total value of $258,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 2,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $752,328. This represents a 25.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 9.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Expedia Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Motiv8 Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Expedia Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new position in Expedia Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Expedia Group by 78.6% in the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Expedia Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Expedia Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. 90.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Expedia Group Stock Up 5.1%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.73. The firm has a market cap of $24.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.11, a PEG ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 1.41. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $263.06 and its 200 day moving average price is $241.63.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The online travel company reported $3.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.32 by $0.46. Expedia Group had a net margin of 8.78% and a return on equity of 72.23%. The firm had revenue of $3.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.41 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.39 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 12.28 EPS for the current year.

Expedia Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 5th will be given a dividend of $0.48 per share. This is an increase from Expedia Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 5th. Expedia Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.24%.

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.