Principal Securities Inc. Has $440,000 Stock Position in Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE)

Principal Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE) by 5.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,360 shares of the online travel company’s stock after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc.’s holdings in Expedia Group were worth $440,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in EXPE. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in Expedia Group by 296.3% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 860 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $127,000 after purchasing an additional 643 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in Expedia Group by 54.6% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 97,953 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $14,499,000 after purchasing an additional 34,581 shares in the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Expedia Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $226,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in Expedia Group by 23.9% during the third quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,403 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $356,000 after purchasing an additional 463 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Expedia Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $9,181,000. 90.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Expedia Group Stock Performance

Shares of EXPE opened at $196.91 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $185.12 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $165.21. Expedia Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $107.25 and a 12 month high of $207.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The online travel company reported $1.84 earnings per share 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%. As a group, analysts predict that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 12.28 EPS for the current year.

Expedia Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 6th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.81%. This is a positive change from Expedia Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.70, for a total value of $1,028,500.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 74,502 shares in the company, valued at $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 is available at this link. 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 transaction of $1,697,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 158,505 shares in the company, valued at $26,912,563.95. This represents a 5.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 25,000 shares of company stock worth $4,577,900. Company insiders own 6.80% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on EXPE shares. Melius upgraded shares of Expedia Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $220.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Susquehanna upped their price target on shares of Expedia Group from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 price target on shares of Expedia Group in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Expedia Group from $135.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Expedia Group from $168.00 to $199.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Expedia Group 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.