Short Interest in Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE) Increases By 18.0%

Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE) saw a large increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 8,210,795 shares, an increase of 18.0% from the February 12th total of 6,957,259 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 3,742,608 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.2 days. Currently, 7.4% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Currently, 7.4% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 3,742,608 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.2 days.

Expedia Group Trading Up 1.4%

EXPE stock traded up $3.09 during trading on Monday, reaching $231.46. 1,539,270 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,869,716. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $247.69 and a 200-day moving average price of $243.38. Expedia Group has a 1 year low of $130.01 and a 1 year high of $303.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.50, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.41.

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

Expedia Group Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 8,225 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 102,480 shares in the company, valued at $22,629,633.60. This represents a 7.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 9.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Expedia Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Expedia Group during the 2nd quarter worth $663,882,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Expedia Group by 24,899.5% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,808,466 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $386,560,000 after purchasing an additional 1,801,232 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Expedia Group by 102.0% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,917,669 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $492,152,000 after buying an additional 1,473,386 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management raised its holdings in Expedia Group by 497.0% in the 2nd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 871,837 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $147,061,000 after buying an additional 725,797 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in Expedia Group by 594.0% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 583,830 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $165,405,000 after buying an additional 499,706 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.76% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on EXPE. HSBC boosted their price target on shares of Expedia Group from $365.00 to $387.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Piper Sandler reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $225.00 target price (down from $250.00) on shares of Expedia Group in a research note on Friday, February 13th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Expedia Group from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Barclays upped their price target on Expedia Group from $245.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Expedia Group from $260.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twenty-two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $281.65.

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.