Alliancebernstein L.P. Has $49.82 Million Stake in Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE)

Alliancebernstein L.P. lowered its position in shares of Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE) by 57.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 267,353 shares of the online travel company’s stock after selling 355,891 shares during the quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P.’s holdings in Expedia Group were worth $49,816,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SRH Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Expedia Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Sava Infond d.o.o. bought a new stake in Expedia Group during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its stake in Expedia Group by 676.2% during the 4th 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. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Expedia Group during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Expedia Group by 75.5% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 272 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.76% of the company’s stock.

Expedia Group Price Performance

Expedia Group stock opened at $141.86 on Friday. Expedia Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $107.25 and a 1 year high of $207.73. The stock has a market cap of $18.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.83. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $180.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $174.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.72.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The online travel company reported $1.84 earnings per share (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%. On average, research analysts forecast 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 was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 6th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 6th. This is a positive change from Expedia Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.13%. Expedia Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.68%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Melius Research raised shares of Expedia Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $210.00 target price (up from $180.00) on shares of Expedia Group in a report on Friday, February 7th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Expedia Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. B. Riley reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $235.00 price objective (up previously from $220.00) on shares of Expedia Group in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Susquehanna raised their target price on Expedia Group from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $193.43.

Insider Activity at Expedia Group

In related news, Director Dara Khosrowshahi sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 158,505 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,912,563.95. This represents a 5.93 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 74,502 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,325,061.40. This represents a 6.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Expedia Group

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.