Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Acquires 7,231 Shares of Expedia Group, Inc. $EXPE

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its holdings in Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE) by 10.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 74,298 shares of the online travel company’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,231 shares during the quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA’s holdings in Expedia Group were worth $19,567,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of Expedia Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $166,203,000. First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in Expedia Group by 104.1% in the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,191,528 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $275,112,000 after purchasing an additional 607,698 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in Expedia Group by 67.7% in the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 780,140 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $199,622,000 after purchasing an additional 314,984 shares during the last quarter. SEB Asset Management AB bought a new stake in Expedia Group in the first quarter valued at about $53,254,000. Finally, KBC Group NV lifted its stake in Expedia Group by 201.3% in the first quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 276,150 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $63,761,000 after buying an additional 184,507 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.76% of the company’s stock.

Expedia Group Stock Performance

Shares of EXPE opened at $259.79 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $31.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.17, a PEG ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 1.39. Expedia Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $185.34 and a twelve month high of $342.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.77. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $278.24 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $259.23.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 4th. The online travel company reported $9.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.85 by $0.54. Expedia Group had a net margin of 12.98% and a return on equity of 91.03%. The company had revenue of $4.94 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.73 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $7.57 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 17.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Expedia Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 18th will be given a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 18th. Expedia Group’s payout ratio is currently 11.21%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EXPE has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating on shares of Expedia Group in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Expedia Group from $350.00 to $325.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Expedia Group from $275.00 to $278.00 and gave the company a “cautious” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 5th. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $285.00 price objective on shares of Expedia Group in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $204.00 price objective on shares of Expedia Group in a research note on Tuesday, November 3rd. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nineteen have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Expedia Group has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $316.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Expedia Group news, insider Robert Dzielak sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $330.50, for a total transaction of $661,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 105,335 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,813,217.50. This represents a 1.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Lance Soliday sold 2,810 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $323.65, for a total value of $909,456.50. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 12,006 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,885,741.90. This trade represents a 18.97% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 5,814 shares of company stock valued at $1,906,796. Company insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.

Expedia Group Profile

Expedia Group, Inc. is an online travel company that connects travelers with lodging, flights, rental cars, cruises, vacation packages and activities. Its consumer-facing brands include Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo, which specializes in vacation rentals. The company also provides travel technology and booking services to business partners. Founded in 1996 as a division of Microsoft, Expedia became an independent public company in 1999. It serves travelers and lodging partners in markets around the world through its websites and mobile apps.