Korea Investment CORP Buys 11,379 Shares of Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE)

Korea Investment CORP increased its stake in Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE) by 11.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 114,690 shares of the online travel company’s stock after buying an additional 11,379 shares during the period. Korea Investment CORP owned 0.09% of Expedia Group worth $21,370,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. SRH Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Expedia Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust raised its holdings in Expedia Group by 676.2% in the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 163 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in 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 buying an additional 117 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of Expedia Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $51,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Expedia Group in the 4th quarter worth about $72,000. 90.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Expedia Group Stock Performance

Shares of EXPE opened at $168.10 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $182.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $174.15. The stock has a market cap of $21.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.57, a PEG ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.83. Expedia Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $107.25 and a 52 week high of $207.73.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 9.01% and a return on equity of 52.41%. On average, analysts expect that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 12.28 EPS for the current year.

Expedia Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 6th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.95%. This is an increase from Expedia Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 6th. Expedia Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.68%.

Insider Activity at Expedia Group

In other news, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.70, for a total value of $1,028,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 74,502 shares in the company, valued at $15,325,061.40. The trade was a 6.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Dara Khosrowshahi sold 10,000 shares of Expedia Group 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 sale, the director now directly owns 158,505 shares in the company, valued at $26,912,563.95. This trade represents a 5.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 25,000 shares of company stock worth $4,577,900. 6.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on EXPE shares. B. Riley reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $235.00 target price (up previously from $220.00) on shares of Expedia Group in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Expedia Group from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Truist Financial increased their target price on Expedia Group from $163.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Expedia Group in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, DA Davidson increased their price objective on shares of Expedia Group from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Nineteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.