Morgan Stanley Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) Stock

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) had its price target hoisted by Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $180.00 in a research report report published on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. Morgan Stanley currently has an equal weight rating on the online travel company’s stock.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Expedia Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. TD Cowen cut Expedia Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $130.00 to $150.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Expedia Group from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Benchmark raised their price objective on shares of Expedia Group from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Piper Sandler restated a “neutral” rating and set a $140.00 target price (down previously from $145.00) on shares of Expedia Group in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Expedia Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $165.46.

Expedia Group Price Performance

NASDAQ EXPE opened at $184.08 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. Expedia Group has a 1 year low of $107.25 and a 1 year high of $190.40. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $160.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $137.80. The company has a market cap of $23.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.69, a P/E/G ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.78.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 1,951 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total transaction of $351,180.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 85,250 shares in the company, valued at $15,345,000. This represents a 2.24 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed 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 on Friday, October 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.18, for a total transaction of $1,501,800.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 198,505 shares in the company, valued at $29,811,480.90. This trade represents a 4.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 38,951 shares of company stock valued at $6,197,710. Company insiders own 6.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Expedia Group

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of EXPE. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Expedia Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Expedia Group by 93.8% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 217 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Expedia Group during the 1st quarter worth $48,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Expedia Group by 709.8% during the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 332 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 291 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in Expedia Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $51,000. 90.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.