KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Makes New Investment in Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new stake in Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 53,142 shares of the online travel company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,902,000.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. SRH Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Expedia Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust grew its holdings in shares of Expedia Group by 676.2% in the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 163 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Expedia Group by 75.5% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 272 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in Expedia Group during the third quarter worth $51,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Expedia Group in the fourth quarter worth $72,000. 90.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Expedia Group

In other news, Director Dara Khosrowshahi sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.79, for a total value of $1,697,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 158,505 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,912,563.95. The trade was a 5.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 74,502 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,325,061.40. This represents a 6.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 25,000 shares of company stock valued at $4,577,900. Corporate insiders own 6.80% of the company’s stock.

Expedia Group Stock Up 2.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ EXPE opened at $178.29 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $183.62 and a 200-day moving average of $173.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.70, a PEG ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.83. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87. Expedia Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $107.25 and a 12 month high of $207.73.

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

Expedia Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 6th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This is a boost from Expedia Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.90%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 6th. Expedia Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.68%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on EXPE. Oppenheimer decreased their target price on Expedia Group from $235.00 to $230.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and set a $210.00 price objective (up previously from $180.00) on shares of Expedia Group in a report on Friday, February 7th. Robert W. Baird initiated coverage on shares of Expedia Group in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $225.00 price objective on the stock. Susquehanna increased their target price on shares of Expedia Group from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Expedia Group in a report on Friday, February 7th. Nineteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $193.43.

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.