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Expedia's most significant opportunity lies in accelerated operating leverage across its unified travel technology platform.
Consolidated operating margin falls below 10.5% of revenue over a trailing 12-month period.
Expedia Group is rated Hold with a synthesized fair value of $267.03 against a market price of $265.00, offering 0.77% implied upside. While disciplined fixed overhead costs and two-thirds direct B2C bookings support near-term EBITDA margin expansion of 150 to 175 basis points and FY2027 consensus diluted EPS of $24.51, structural competition from Booking Holdings and Airbnb caps take rates and limits further multiple expansion.145
At 11.29x forward P/E, the stock's valuation reflects balanced expectations between robust and entrenched structural headwinds.
Downside risks center on competitive share containment and customer acquisition inflation. Booking Holdings generates an operating margin of 34.41% and Airbnb generates 21.01%, compared to Expedia's 12.70% FY2025 operating margin. This structural scale gap restricts Expedia's take rates and margin upside in retail consumer leisure channels. Furthermore, with 33% of consumer bookings still arriving through paid marketing channels and organic SEO search demonstrating softness, format shifts by major search providers and generative AI answer engines threaten to escalate traffic acquisition costs. Management has also flagged tougher second-half comparisons in bookings and room nights across the 59.1% US revenue base ($8,710M in FY2025).3578
Counterbalancing these competitive pressures, two-thirds of consumer brand bookings originate directly, which helped keep fixed overhead expenses flat year-over-year in Q2 2026 despite 14% revenue expansion. Supported by raised full-year FY2026 EBITDA margin expansion guidance of 150 to 175 basis points and full-year revenue guidance of $16.05B to $16.22B, consensus expectations project FY2026 revenue of $16,209,568,740 and diluted EPS of $21.02, progressing to $24.51 in FY2027. Robust free cash flow of $3,110M on $3,880M operating cash flow continues to fund substantial share repurchases, reducing diluted share count from 131.94M and compounding per-share intrinsic value.1567
Expedia converted $3,880M in operating cash flow into $3,110M in free cash flow in FY2025. This cash conversion funds substantial share buybacks well above annual share-based compensation of $398M, reducing diluted share count from 131.94M and compounding diluted EPS.67
Two-thirds of consumer brand bookings arrive through direct channels, shielding the core retail franchise from rising performance marketing costs. Coupled with strict cost controls that held overhead expenses flat year-over-year in Q2 2026 despite 14% revenue expansion, direct engagement enables solid operating leverage.5
The B2B partner division generated $4,842M in revenue and $1,028M in operating income (21.2% operating margin) in FY2025. Deep API integrations across airlines, offline travel agents, and corporate programs establish meaningful switching costs and diversify revenue beyond domestic consumer leisure channels.58
Expedia Group is rated Hold with a synthesized fair value midpoint of $267.03 against the prevailing market price of $265.00, offering 0.77% implied upside. While strong free cash flow generation of $3,110M and disciplined overhead management support buyback-driven EPS growth toward $24.51 in FY2027, structural competition from Booking Holdings and Airbnb caps take rates and limits multiple expansion beyond current levels.146
Expedia Group Inc. operates an extensive online travel marketplace providing lodging, flights, alternative accommodations, car rentals, and vacation packages. The company structures operations across three reportable segments: Core B2C retail travel, B2B partner distribution, and Trivago. In FY2025, consolidated revenue reached $14,733M, generating operating income of $1,871M and net income of $1,294M.
The B2C retail segment represents the primary earnings anchor, delivering $9,474M in FY2025 revenue and $2,240M in operating profit through key consumer brands including Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo. The rapidly expanding B2B partner distribution platform produced $4,842M in FY2025 revenue and $1,028M in operating profit, powering private-label booking technology for financial institutions, airlines, and travel agencies. Geographically, international operations generated $6,023M (40.9%), while the United States contributed $8,710M (59.1%).
A severe compounding stress scenario combines macroeconomic leisure softening with traffic acquisition cost inflation and multiple derating. Under this stress case, discretionary room night demand contracts across Expedia's core US market (59.1% of FY2025 revenue at $8,710M), exacerbated by difficult second-half comparisons. Concurrently, persistent weakness in organic SEO and aggressive bidding by Booking Holdings and Airbnb on the one-third of non-direct bookings drive performance marketing spend higher, compressing operating margins below 10.50% (down >300 bps relative to base expectations). The resulting shock reduces annual free cash flow from FY2025's $3,110M by more than 25%, curtailing share buybacks. If debt refinancing rates rise across the $5.69B debt load and the valuation multiple derates 20% toward 9.5x forward earnings, intrinsic equity value contracts significantly.
In the Bear case, intensifying competition from Booking Holdings in international hotel distribution and Airbnb in alternative lodging compresses Expedia's take rates and market share. Intermediation from AI search answer engines and Google Travel degrades organic SEO traffic, forcing Expedia to escalate paid customer acquisition spend. B2C booking growth decelerates sharply as US consumer discretionary travel softens, while foreign currency headwinds depress non-US revenue. Operating margins compress toward cyclical lows, curtailing free cash flow generation and halting per-share compounding.
With 33% of consumer bookings arriving through paid channels and SEO softness, aggressive bidding by Booking Holdings and generative AI travel format shifts force higher customer acquisition costs. If operating margin drops below 10.5% (down >300 bps from the projected 13.7%-14.5% path and below FY2025's 12.70%), FCFF contracts sharply, destroying operating leverage.57
The five developments that would weaken our investment case.
Indicates severe consumer share loss to Booking Holdings and Airbnb alongside paid traffic exhaustion; triggers downward revision of revenue and margin paths.
Current:7.6% consolidated FY2025 growth
Alert ifBelow 3.0% YoY over FY2026-FY2027
Expedia Group possesses a narrow economic moat underpinned by two-sided network effects across its retail travel platform and switching costs within its expanding B2B partner distribution platform. In FY2025, the business generated $14,733M in total revenue and $1,871M in operating income, driven by $9,474M from B2C and $4,842M from B2B. The multi-brand ecosystem creates platform breadth that attracts lodging suppliers and travelers alike, reinforcing direct customer retention where two-thirds of bookings originate through direct channels.
However, Expedia is constrained from achieving a wide moat by intense competition in consumer leisure travel. Competitors such as Booking Holdings demonstrate structurally superior unit economics, operating at a 34.41% operating margin compared to Expedia's 12.70%, largely reflecting Booking's commanding scale and supply density across European markets. Similarly, Airbnb's 21.01% operating margin highlights an entrenched direct brand advantage in alternative accommodations that limits Vrbo's pricing power. These competitive dynamics cap Expedia's take rates and necessitate ongoing performance marketing expenditure for the one-third of consumer traffic arriving through paid channels.
Offsetting retail headwinds is Expedia's rapidly growing B2B business, which produced $1,028M in operating income in FY2025 at a 21.2% operating margin. B2B distribution serves as a differentiated moat engine where enterprise clients—including major banks, corporate travel managers, and airlines—integrate Expedia's inventory and payment APIs into their consumer loyalty portals. Because replacing such integrations requires significant development expense and operational disruption, switching costs in this segment remain durable and support high economic profits over our explicit forecast horizon.
Expedia generates substantial economic profit, with reported return on invested capital of 23.17% exceeding the computed WACC of 9.29% and moderate cost of equity Ke of 10.09%. This 13.88 percentage point spread confirms durable economic value creation supported by an asset-light operating model.2
Each lens answers a different valuation question. Only included lenses set Fair value; floors and diagnostics provide context.
The highlighted cell is Fair value when every assumption sits at its base level ($267.03). Each row and column shows what Fair value becomes when one assumption moves.
Free cash flow to the firm stays positive in the first projected year at $1.5B after modeled reinvestment of $264.4M, with terminal value at 75.7% of enterprise value. A sudden drop in free cash flow is not projected unless capital spending relative to revenue, reinvestment, or gross margin resets materially.
In the Base case, Expedia operates as a steady mature compounder. Full-year FY2026 revenue grows 10.02% to $16.21B, tracking management's 9% to 10% guidance, before growth normalizes toward 4-7% annually. Operating margins expand from 12.70% in FY2025 to 13.70% in FY2026 and 15.50% by FY2030, driven by flat fixed overheads and steady two-thirds direct B2C booking mix. Diluted EPS reaches $21.02 in FY2026 and $24.51 in FY2027, augmented by annual share repurchases of 1.0% to 3.0% of share count.157
Revenue exceeding the top end of guidance alongside EBITDA margin expansion above 175 basis points demonstrates accelerating market share gains and operating leverage, warranting a rating adjustment.
Results meeting guided revenue of $16.05B to $16.22B and EBITDA margin expansion of 150 to 175 basis points confirm the mature compounder trajectory without altering intrinsic value sufficiently to change the stance.
A revenue or margin miss confirms that performance marketing inflation, search disintermediation, or macroeconomic leisure softening are compressing unit economics, triggering a downward revision to cash flow expectations.
Expedia demonstrates solid earnings quality characterized by robust cash conversion, with FY2025 operating cash flow of $3,880M and free cash flow of $3,110M substantially exceeding reported net income of $1,294M. The business benefits from favorable working capital dynamics inherent in its travel merchant booking model. Stock-based compensation of $398M in FY2025 represents a modest 2.7% of revenue, well aligned with peer and industry benchmarks, and is heavily offset by aggressive share buybacks reducing total diluted share count.
Estimate revisions following the Q2 2026 earnings release reflect positive momentum. Post-event consensus diluted EPS for FY2026 moved upward from $19.76 to $20.67,, reaching $21.02 as of October 2026. FY2027 diluted EPS consensus stands at $24.51. Consensus FY2026 revenue of $16.21B aligns with the upper boundary of management's raised guidance of $16.05B to $16.22B, driven by Q2 adjusted EBITDA growth of 23% and raised full-year margin targets.15
Direct bookings protect marketing margins and insulate consumer retail operations from search engine advertising inflation.
Expedia generates strong cash flow underpinned by its merchant business model, where customer payments are collected upon booking while lodging partners are paid post-stay. This working capital float, combined with low capital intensity, enabled FY2025 operating cash flow of $3,880M and free cash flow of $3,110M, representing an exceptional 240% conversion of GAAP net income ($1,294M). Capital expenditures were disciplined at $770M, below annual depreciation of $887M, demonstrating the asset-light nature of its unified technology infrastructure.67
ROIC has improved following post-pandemic travel normalization and tech stack restructuring, rising to 23.17%. With invested capital largely comprised of working capital and capitalized technology investments, ROIC is poised to remain in the 22%-25% range as operating margins expand from 12.70% in FY2025 toward 15.50% by FY2030 on overhead leverage,.
Expedia's ROIC of 23.17% stands 13.88 percentage points above its computed WACC of 9.29% and 13.08 percentage points above moderate Ke of 10.09%, demonstrating robust economic value creation.
| Revenue | $4,315,000,000 |
|---|---|
| Cost of revenue | $4,000,000 |
| Gross profit | $4,311,000,000 |
| Operating expenses | $3,511,000,000 |
| Operating income | $800,000,000 |
| Non-operating items and tax | $75,000,000 |
| Net income | $875,000,000 |
| Total assets | $24,452,000,000 |
|---|---|
| Cash | $5,413,000,000 |
| Current assets | $12,199,000,000 |
| Total liabilities | $21,905,000,000 |
| Current liabilities | $16,657,000,000 |
| Shareholders’ equity | $2,547,000,000 |
| Net income | $1,294,000,000 |
|---|---|
| Operating inflow | $3,880,000,000 |
| Depreciation and amortization | $887,000,000 |
| Stock-based compensation | $398,000,000 |
| Other operating adjustments | $1,301,000,000 |
| Operating cash flow | $3,880,000,000 |
| Cash available | $9,643,000,000 |
| Beginning cash | $5,574,000,000 |
| Exchange-rate effect | $189,000,000 |
| Investing outflow | $531,000,000 |
| Financing outflow | $2,136,000,000 |
| Ending cash | $6,976,000,000 |
| Investing cash flow | -$531,000,000 |
| Financing cash flow | -$2,136,000,000 |
Point-in-time financial data used in the 2026-10-04 analysis.
| Period | Revenue | EBITDA | Net income | Operating cash flow | Free cash flow | Capex | Depreciation and amortization | Stock-based compensation | Share repurchases | Dividends paid | Net debt issuance | Investing cash flow | Financing cash flow | Beginning cash | Ending cash | Cash and investments | Total debt | Operating margin | ROIC | WACC | ROIC − WACC spread |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-12-31 | $8.8B | $1.2B | $282M | $1.5B | $800M | $749M | $794.2M | $242M | $456M | $150.2M | — | -$718M | -$691M | — | $1.8B | $1.9B | $3.2B | 5.3% | — | 5.7% | — |
| 2017-12-31 | $10.1B | $1.5B | $378M | $1.8B | $1.1B | $710M | $889.5M | $149M | $312M | $175.8M | — | -$1.6B | $688M | $1.8B | $2.9B | $3.3B | $4.2B | 6.2% | — | 5.5% | — |
| 2018-12-31 | $11.2B | $1.6B | $406M | $2B | $1.1B | $878M | $959M | $203M | $923M | $186M | — | -$559M | -$1.5B | $2.9B | $2.7B | $2.5B | $3.7B | 6.4% | — | 6.2% | — |
| 2019-12-31 | $12.1B | $1.9B | $565M | $2.8B | $1.6B | $1.2B | $910M | $241M | $743M | $195M | — | -$1.6B | $175M | $2.7B | $4.1B | $3.8B | $4.9B | 7.5% | — | 5.1% | — |
| 2020-12-31 | $5.2B | -$428M | -$2.6B | -$3.8B | -$4.6B | $797M | $893M | $205M | $425M | $48M | — | -$263M | $4.1B | $4.1B | $4.1B | $3.4B | $8.2B | -52.3% | — | — | — |
| 2021-12-31 | $8.6B | $1.1B | $12M | $3.7B | $3.1B | $673M | $814M | $418M | $165M | $67M | — | -$931M | -$973M | $4.1B | $5.8B | $4.3B | $8.5B | 2.2% | — | 8.7% | — |
| 2022-12-31 | $11.7B | $1.6B | $352M | $3.4B | $2.8B | $662M | $792M | $374M | $607M | $67M | -$2.1B | -$580M | -$2.6B | $5.8B | $5.9B | $4.1B | $6.2B | 9.3% | — | 8.2% | — |
| 2023-12-31 | $12.8B | $2.1B | $797M | $2.7B | $1.8B | $846M | $807M | $413M | $2.1B | $0 | $0 | -$800M | -$2.1B | $5.9B | $5.7B | $4.3B | $6.3B | 8.0% | — | 9.3% | — |
| 2024-12-31 | $13.7B | $2.6B | $1.2B | $3.1B | $2.3B | $756M | $838M | $458M | $1.8B | $0 | $0 | -$1.3B | -$1.7B | $5.7B | $5.6B | $4.5B | $6.3B | 9.6% | — | 10.2% | — |
| 2025-12-31 | $14.7B | $2.8B | $1.3B | $3.9B | $3.1B | $770M | $887M | $398M | $1.9B | $200M | -$59M | -$531M | -$2.1B | $5.6B | $7B | $5.7B | $6.2B | 12.7% | — | 9.1% | — |
Expedia Group Inc. (EXPE) trades at 11.3x forward earnings against a peer median of 17.7x. Its EV/EBITDA of 10.9x compares with a peer median of 16.4x. The comparison uses 4 peers: Airbnb Inc., Booking Holdings Inc., Yum! Brands Inc. and eBay Inc., as of 2026-10-04.
The online travel agency industry exhibits an asset-light capital profile with an industry capex-to-revenue benchmark of 1.3% (0.013) and a capex-to-depreciation ratio of 1.12. Expedia's FY2025 capital expenditures of $770M against depreciation of $887M and revenue of $14,733M align with this profile, as physical lodging capacity is provided by third-party hotel and vacation rental partners. Because capacity expansion data is supplier-held, this capital cycle view is demand-led and evidence-limited.7
In a cyclical upswing, strong consumer and corporate travel demand accelerates gross bookings growth. Fixed overhead leverage on flat operating costs allows revenue expansion to translate into rapid margin gains exceeding management's guided 150-175 bps adjusted EBITDA margin expansion. Direct booking share expands beyond two-thirds, reducing customer acquisition costs as loyalty member engagement compounds, while international B2B enterprise partnerships accelerate volume growth across non-US markets.
In a cyclical downturn, consumer discretionary travel spending contracts, reducing room night demand and average daily rates across Expedia's 59.1% US revenue footprint. Tougher post-pandemic comparisons compound organic search softness, forcing higher performance marketing spend on contested paid traffic. Lower transaction volumes compress operating leverage, squeezing operating margins toward 10.5%-11.0% and reducing annual free cash flow.
Expedia occupies an established number-two global position in online travel behind Booking Holdings and alongside Airbnb. With $14,733M in FY2025 revenue, the company balances a heavily North American consumer retail business ($8,710M US revenue) with an international B2B distribution platform that is two-thirds non-US weighted. While Booking Holdings dominates European hotel distribution with a 34.41% operating margin and Airbnb leads alternative accommodations with a 21.01% operating margin, Expedia maintains defensible scale through its dual B2C/B2B footprint and extensive flights, packages, and car rental inventory.3578
Expedia displays strong operational execution, impressive free cash flow conversion ($3,110M in FY2025), and an expanding B2B moat. However, moderate conviction is warranted because the October 2, 2026 share price ($265.00) fully reflects base case fair value ($267.03), and tough second-half comparisons in consumer travel create near-term growth uncertainty. A neutral allocation is appropriate for existing holders, with no new capital deployed.456
Risk management centers on monitoring marketing efficiency, liquidity, and balance sheet leverage. With total debt of $5.69B balanced against $5.41B in cash and equivalents, net debt is manageable at $428M. Investors should watch debt refinancing yields against the current pre-tax cost of debt of 6.06% and monitor foreign exchange headwinds across the 40.9% international revenue base ($6,023M FY2025 non-US revenue). Capital preservation requires adhering to the $200.00 stop loss and disciplined partial profit taking above $305.00.
Trading at 11.29x forward P/E and an implied 0.77% upside to synthesized fair value of $267.03, Expedia is reasonably valued. The stock offers a strong free cash flow yield based on FY2025 FCF of $3,110M, but lacks the margin of safety required for an aggressive Buy rating.46
While consensus projects FY2026 revenue of $16,209,568,740 (10.02% growth) and FY2027 EPS of $24.51, management has flagged decelerating second-half comparisons in bookings and room nights, suggesting patience rather than adding exposure into deceleration.15
The balance sheet carries $5,689,999,872 in total debt against $5,413M in cash. While liquidity is solid, structural competitive exposure to Booking Holdings and Airbnb alongside traffic acquisition cost risks justifies maintaining existing allocations without taking on incremental exposure.47
Expedia Group is rated Hold with a synthesized fair value midpoint of $267.03 against the prevailing market price of $265.00, representing 0.77% implied upside. While disciplined fixed overhead costs and two-thirds direct B2C bookings support near-term EBITDA margin expansion of 150 to 175 basis points and FY2027 consensus diluted EPS of $24.51, structural competition from Booking Holdings (34.41% operating margin) and Airbnb (21.01% operating margin) structurally caps take rates and limits further multiple expansion.1345
Investors should maintain current positions rather than deploying fresh capital, given the narrow discount of 0.76% to intrinsic value. Re-evaluating the rating requires either a price retracement toward the conservative DCF valuation floor of $219.65 (providing an attractive margin of safety) or clear evidence that B2B partner distribution ($4,842M FY2025 revenue) can sustain consolidated operating margins above 15.5% despite paid search acquisition headwinds.
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The records this analysis drew on, as they stood when it was run.
Not every cited input appears here: internal calculations and intermediate model outputs have no external record, and some citations could not be matched to one.
US leisure travel softening combined with tougher comparisons in the second half across the 59.1% US revenue base ($8,710M in FY2025) decelerates top-line expansion below 2.0% YoY, failing the pillar falsifier and cutting 5-year revenue growth by 5 percentage points relative to base case expectations.158
Expedia trades at 11.29x forward P/E. A 20% contraction in the exit multiple from the modeled 13.5x toward 9.5x-10.0x reflects competitive share loss to Booking Holdings and Airbnb alongside balance sheet risk from $5.69B total debt and debt refinancing exposure that strains cash conversion during cyclical travel downturns.34
A 200 bps increase in WACC from computed 9.2886% toward 11.29% driven by rising debt refinancing yields on $5.69B total debt (current pre-tax cost of debt is 6.06%) and raw beta expansion (raw beta is 1.3468) significantly impairs the discounted value of long-dated cash flows.24
Confirms performance marketing ad inflation or competitor take-rate compression is overriding overhead efficiency, requiring a >15% cut to free cash flow projections.
Current:12.70% in FY2025
Alert ifBelow 11.50% in FY2026-FY2027
Falsifies the international expansion thesis, proving inability to scale B2B distribution abroad against regional incumbents and requiring a reduction in terminal growth.
Current:$6,023M in FY2025 (40.9% of total)
Alert ifAt or below 2.0% YoY
Demonstrates AI search answer engines and Google Travel format shifts are disintermediating organic traffic, forcing higher cost-per-click customer acquisition spend.
Current:67% (two-thirds direct)
Alert ifBelow 60% with consecutive quarters of declining organic search visits
Signals broad consumer travel contraction and room night reversal, cutting operating leverage and impairing merchant cash flow float.
Current:12% growth in Q2 2026
Alert ifNegative YoY growth across two consecutive quarters
| Search engine disintermediation and generative AI travel discovery changes | medium | Next 12-24 months | Two-thirds of consumer bookings originate directly; aggressive investment in Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and native AI integrations.5 |
| Foreign currency translation and regional demand volatility across international operations | low | Quarterly ongoing | Active FX hedging programs and geographic diversification across non-US markets ($6,023M FY2025 non-US revenue).58 |
Project EPS through the explicit advantage period, fade growth as competition catches up, and discount the full stream at cost of equity.
Apply a terminal P/E to the dated forward EPS path, then discount that future share value back to the analysis date.
Convert the revenue and margin path into after-tax free cash flow, discount the annual per-share amounts and terminal value at WACC, then adjust for signed net debt per current share.
Discounted forecast-period cash flows ($54.36) plus discounted terminal value ($169) minus signed per current share ($3.74) equals the $220 lens value shown above. Negative net debt is , so subtracting it raises value.
Add depreciation to net income, subtract maintenance capex, divide by diluted shares, and apply a normalized valuation multiple.
Solve for the growth rate that makes the model value equal the report-date share price.
In the Bull case, operational leverage accelerates across the unified travel technology platform. Rapid adoption of B2B enterprise distribution drives double-digit partner revenue growth beyond 12% annually, while two-thirds direct consumer traffic insulates B2C from search marketing inflation. Vrbo captures market share from Airbnb in domestic vacation rentals through loyalty incentives and optimized checkout conversion. Operating margins expand beyond 175 bps toward 16.5% due to strict overhead discipline, while aggressive share buybacks accelerate per-share earnings growth toward outer-year upper consensus of $30.89.15
B2B represents the primary international growth driver, delivering high operating margins and partner stickiness.
Demonstrates whether fixed overhead discipline and tech stack unification can counteract take-rate caps imposed by competitors.
Share repurchases drive per-share compounding given substantial free cash flow yield.
Shifts in Google search results or generative AI answer engines threaten top-of-funnel consumer acquisition and traffic acquisition costs.
| $18.40B |
| $19.32B |
| $20.09B |
| Revenue growth | 10.0% | 7.1% | 6.0% | 5.0% | 4.0% |
| Operating margin | 13.7% | 14.5% | 15.0% | 15.3% | 15.5% |
| Operating income | $2.22B | $2.52B | $2.76B | $2.96B | $3.11B |
| Tax rate | 20.6% | 20.6% | 21.0% | 21.0% | 21.0% |
| NOPAT | $1.76B | $2.00B | $2.18B | $2.33B | $2.46B |
| Reinvestment | $264.41M | $319.62M | $392.40M | $466.95M | $541.18M |
| Reinvestment rate (of NOPAT) | 15.0% | 16.0% | 18.0% | 20.0% | 22.0% |
| Free cash flow to firm | $1.50B | $1.68B | $1.79B | $1.87B | $1.92B |
| B2 C revenue | $10.42B | $11.16B | $11.83B | $12.42B | $12.92B |
| Business To Business revenue | $5.33B | $5.70B | $6.05B | $6.35B | $6.60B |
| Trivago revenue | $684.03M | $732.39M | $776.33M | $815.15M | $847.76M |
| Terminal growth | 3.0% | 3.0% | 3.0% | 3.0% | 3.0% |
Expedia's capital allocation is focused on returning capital through share buybacks while maintaining balance sheet stability. In FY2025, robust free cash flow of $3,110M funded extensive share repurchases that exceeded stock-based compensation of $398M, reducing diluted average shares outstanding from 152.9M in FY2018 to 131.9M in FY2025. Cash and equivalents stood at $5,413M at year-end FY2025 against total debt of $5.69B, keeping net debt modest ($428M) and giving management ample flexibility to continue anti-dilutive equity repurchases.
Fixed overhead costs were flat YoY in Q2 2026 despite 14% revenue expansion, and full-year FY2026 EBITDA margin guidance was raised by 150-175 bps.
Consolidated tech migration allows incremental revenue to flow through to operating profit at attractive rates, lifting operating margins toward 13.70%-15.50%.
Expedia's B2B division generated $1,028M of operating income on $4,842M of revenue in FY2025,, representing a 21.2% operating margin.
B2B expansion outpaces retail growth, creating positive margin mix shift that supports consolidated earnings power even as retail OTA take rates remain capped.
| Margin |
|---|
| EXPE | Expedia Group Inc. | $31.8B | 11.3x | 2.0x | 10.9x | 89.5% | — |
| ABNB | Airbnb Inc. | $97.3B | 26.2x | 7.4x | 31.2x | 34.5% | 21.0% |
| BKNG | Booking Holdings Inc. | $123.2B | 12.9x | 4.4x | 11.8x | — | 34.4% |
| YUM | Yum! Brands Inc. | $37.1B | 19.6x | 4.3x | 16.3x | — | 32.8% |
| EBAY | eBay Inc. | $47.3B | 15.9x | 3.9x | 16.5x | 46.6% | 21.6% |
| B2B enterprise travel technology and inventory outsourcing | positive | Financial institutions, airlines, and corporate travel managers are increasingly outsourcing travel booking technology to specialized platforms. Expedia's B2B division capitalizes on this structural shift, generating $4,842M in revenue in FY2025 with 21.2% operating margins. |
| Aligns with the primary FCFF DCF valuation midpoint of $219.65 and represents an ~18% discount to fair value ($267.03), establishing an attractive risk-adjusted entry zone. |
| $185.00 - $190.00 | Deep value accumulation |
| Full-year margin expansion falling below 150 bps |
| Assess whether paid search inflation or competitor pricing pressure is undermining overhead leverage, and reduce position size if persistent. |
| B2C direct booking share | Direct bookings dropping below 60% of total consumer bookings | Re-examine customer acquisition efficiency and evaluate traffic disintermediation risk from AI search answer engines. |
| International B2B partner distribution momentum | B2B revenue growth decelerating below 5.0% YoY | Reduce outer-year terminal growth assumptions and lower DCF valuation inputs. |
