Impax Asset Management Group plc Increases Stake in Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE)

Impax Asset Management Group plc increased its position in shares of Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE) by 104.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 40,756 shares of the online travel company’s stock after buying an additional 20,844 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc’s holdings in Expedia Group were worth $7,594,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in EXPE. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Expedia Group by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,139 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $398,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the period. Wealthspire Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Expedia Group in the fourth quarter worth $229,000. Oxbow Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Expedia Group by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC now owns 36,941 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $6,883,000 after buying an additional 2,374 shares in the last quarter. Boyd Watterson Asset Management LLC OH increased its position in shares of Expedia Group by 20.0% in the fourth quarter. Boyd Watterson Asset Management LLC OH now owns 11,022 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $2,054,000 after buying an additional 1,839 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Bank & Trust increased its position in shares of Expedia Group by 9.7% in the fourth quarter. First Bank & Trust now owns 2,090 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $389,000 after buying an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. 90.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Expedia Group

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

Expedia Group Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of Expedia Group stock opened at $199.97 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $185.75 and its 200-day moving average is $167.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.77 billion, a PE ratio of 22.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current 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 announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The online travel company reported $1.84 earnings per share (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%. Equities analysts anticipate that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 12.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Expedia Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.80%. This is a positive change from Expedia Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 6th. Expedia Group’s payout ratio is presently 17.68%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird assumed coverage on Expedia Group in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $225.00 price target for the company. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Expedia Group in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Citigroup raised their price target on Expedia Group from $200.00 to $217.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. B. Riley reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $235.00 price target (up from $220.00) on shares of Expedia Group in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Expedia Group from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $192.64.

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.