First Business Financial Services Inc. Acquires 415 Shares of Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE)

First Business Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE) by 4.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,355 shares of the online travel company’s stock after acquiring an additional 415 shares during the period. First Business Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Expedia Group were worth $1,929,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. SRH Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Expedia Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its position in Expedia Group by 676.2% during the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 163 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Expedia Group by 709.8% during the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 332 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 291 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in Expedia Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Expedia Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $72,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.76% of the company’s stock.

Expedia Group Stock Performance

Shares of EXPE stock opened at $190.99 on Thursday. Expedia Group, Inc. has a one year low of $107.25 and a one year high of $207.73. The company’s 50-day moving average is $187.25 and its 200 day moving average is $170.00. The company has a market capitalization of $24.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.72.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The online travel company reported $1.84 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.06 by ($0.22). Expedia Group had a net margin of 9.01% and a return on equity of 52.41%. Sell-side analysts expect that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 12.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Expedia Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders 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 0.84%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 6th. This is an increase from Expedia Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. Expedia Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.68%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on EXPE shares. Argus boosted their price objective on shares of Expedia Group from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Baird R W raised shares of Expedia Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Expedia Group from $166.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Expedia Group from $168.00 to $199.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Expedia Group from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Nineteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $192.64.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Dara Khosrowshahi sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.79, for a total transaction of $1,697,900.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 158,505 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,912,563.95. This trade represents a 5.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.70, for a total transaction of $1,028,500.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 74,502 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,325,061.40. The trade was a 6.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 25,000 shares of company stock valued at $4,577,900 in the last 90 days. 6.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Expedia Group Company 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.