Sphera Management Technology Funds Ltd Invests $932,000 in Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE)

Sphera Management Technology Funds Ltd acquired a new position in Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 5,000 shares of the online travel company’s stock, valued at approximately $932,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Expedia Group in the 4th quarter valued at $670,565,000. Bamco Inc. NY bought a new stake in shares of Expedia Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $80,206,000. Alkeon Capital Management LLC grew its position in Expedia Group by 25.4% during the fourth quarter. Alkeon Capital Management LLC now owns 1,976,472 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $368,276,000 after buying an additional 400,000 shares in the last quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP increased its stake in Expedia Group by 73.4% during the fourth quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 854,262 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $159,175,000 after acquiring an additional 361,543 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new position in Expedia Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $58,367,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.76% of the company’s stock.

Expedia Group Price Performance

Expedia Group stock opened at $166.66 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.42, a PEG ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.62. The business has a 50-day moving average of $160.47 and a 200-day moving average of $176.18. Expedia Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $107.25 and a 1 year high of $207.73.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The online travel company reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.42 by ($0.02). Expedia Group had a net margin of 9.01% and a return on equity of 52.41%. The firm had revenue of $2.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.02 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.21 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 12.28 EPS for the current year.

Expedia Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 29th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 29th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.96%. Expedia Group’s payout ratio is 18.87%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 74,502 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,325,061.40. The trade was a 6.29% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 6.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Expedia Group from $205.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Piper Sandler downgraded shares of Expedia Group from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $174.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Friday, May 9th. JMP Securities reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Expedia Group in a report on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Expedia Group from $143.00 to $149.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Wedbush reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $165.00 target price (down previously from $180.00) on shares of Expedia Group in a research note on Friday, May 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $186.35.

Expedia Group 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.