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Quote this valuation with its source: Fair value, Potential value and the price at analysis.
FAQ
EXPE — frequently asked questions
Is Expedia Group, Inc. overvalued?
In our latest published analysis dated 2026-10-04, EXPE trades close to fair value. The price recorded at analysis is 265 USD versus our fair value of 267 USD; the high endpoint is presented separately as potential value of 353 USD. That implies roughly 0.8% upside to fair value at that date.
Our latest published report, analyzed 2026-10-04, gives EXPE a fair value of 267 USD and a potential value of 353 USD. The conclusion is triangulated across multiple valuation models and weighted by reliability for Expedia Group, Inc.'s archetype; it is a dated research output, not a live price.
Should I buy EXPE now?
Our latest published rating for EXPE, analyzed 2026-10-04, is Hold. Expedia Group, Inc. trades close to fair value at the analysis-date price of 265 USD versus fair value of 267 USD; potential value is 353 USD. This is research for educational purposes, not personalized investment advice.
What are the biggest risks for EXPE?
The dedicated bear-case section in our report analyzed 2026-10-04 documents Expedia Group, Inc.'s material risks, evidence, thresholds, and thesis-invalidation conditions. Scenario-specific explanations remain in that section so the report does not repeat or decontextualize them elsewhere.
What is EXPE's rating?
Our latest published rating for EXPE, analyzed 2026-10-04, is Hold, with a published moat assessment of 6.5/10 (Narrow). It reflects our fair value of 267 USD, the potential value of 353 USD, and the price recorded at analysis (265 USD).
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.1,4,5
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).3,5,7,8
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.1,5,6,7
High Free Cash Flow Conversion and Accretive Share Repurchases
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
Expanding High-Margin B2B Partner Distribution Platform
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.5,8
Recomendación de la casa
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.1,4,6
Descripción general de la empresa
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%).
§2 Caso bajistaEN
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.
Cómo puede fallar esta tesis
Severe Paid Search Inflation & AI Disintermediation Squeeze
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.5,7
FV impact
-5.7%
Operating margin 3 points lower throughout
Trigger
Señales de alerta temprana a vigilar
Los cinco acontecimientos que debilitarían nuestra tesis de inversión.
Indicates severe consumer share loss to Booking Holdings and Airbnb alongside paid traffic exhaustion; triggers downward revision of revenue and margin paths.
Actual:7.6% consolidated FY2025 growth
Alerta siBelow 3.0% YoY over FY2026-FY2027
02
§3 Foso competitivoEN
Narrow
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.
Beneficio económico
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
6.5/ 10
Narrow
Sources of advantage
01Two-sided network effects in retail travel marketplace — Expedia connects millions of global travelers with lodging, flight, and car rental inventory across retail brands including Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo, generating $9,474M in B2C revenue in FY2025. Two-thirds of consumer bookings arrive direct, reinforcing marketplace liquidity and lowering acquisition costs.Moderate
02B2B partner distribution integration and switching costs — Expedia's B2B division delivers enterprise travel technology, API connectivity, and inventory access to financial institutions, airlines, and offline agencies, generating $4,842M in revenue and $1,028M in operating profit in FY2025. Embedded workflow integration creates significant partner switching costs.Moderate
Amenazas conocidas al foso
Amenaza
Severidad
Cronograma
Mitigación
Direct consumer competition and scale disadvantage vs. Booking Holdings and Airbnb
high
Ongoing (12-36 months)
Differentiating through B2B distribution platform scale ($4,842M FY2025 revenue), rolling out unified One Key loyalty incentives, and optimizing checkout conversion.
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.1,5,7
Revenue growth accelerating to 12.0% in early years led by B2B distribution expansion8
§7 Árbol de decisión de resultadosEN
Superado
Upgrade the rating; Increase allocation upon confirmation of direct booking acceleration, sustained overhead operating leverage, and international volume expansion exceeding guided ranges.
Disparador: Q3 revenue above $4.75B and full-year revenue exceeding $16.22B with full-year adjusted EBITDA margin expansion exceeding 175 bps.5
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.
En línea
Maintain Hold; Keep allocation steady while monitoring second-half booking comparisons, partner distribution volume, and execution of share repurchases against cash flow generation.
Disparador: Q3 revenue between $4.65B and $4.75B and full-year revenue between $16.05B and $16.22B with EBITDA margin expansion of 150 to 175 bps.5
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.
Fallo
Downgrade the rating; Trim allocation and re-examine traffic acquisition costs, direct booking stability, and domestic vacation rental competitive share.
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.
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.1,5
Métricas a vigilar antes de la publicación
01
Métrica:
Direct Consumer Booking Share
ActualTwo-thirds of consumer bookings originate through direct channels.
Por qué importa
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.6,7
Asignación de capital
Expedia's capital allocation is focused on returning capital through share buybacks while maintaining balance sheet stability. In FY2025, robust of $3,110M funded extensive share repurchases that exceeded of $398M, reducing diluted average 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 modest ($428M) and giving management ample flexibility to continue anti-dilutive equity repurchases.
ROIC has improved following post-pandemic travel normalization and tech stack restructuring, rising to 23.17%. With invested capital largely comprised of working capital and capitalized technology investments, ROIC is poised to remain in the 22%-25% range as operating margins expand from 12.70% in FY2025 toward 15.50% by FY2030 on overhead leverage,.
Expedia's ROIC of 23.17% stands 13.88 percentage points above its computed WACC of 9.29% and 13.08 percentage points above moderate Ke of 10.09%, demonstrating robust economic value creation.
Ingresos más recientes14,7 mil M US$CAGR de ingresos +5,9 %
Margen operativo12,7 %10 periodos fiscales
Flujo de caja libre más reciente3110 M US$FY2025
Deuda neta428 M US$FY2025
Desglose de la cuenta de resultadosCómo la escala del negocio se convierte en beneficio declarado.30 jun 2026
StockMarketAgent.AI
Ingresos4315 M US$Coste de ventas−4 M US$Beneficio bruto4311 M US$Gastos operativos−3511 M US$Beneficio operativo800 M US$Partidas no operativas e impuestos+75 M US$Beneficio neto875 M US$
Datos del historial financiero
Ingresos
4.315.000.000 US$
Coste de ventas
4.000.000 US$
Beneficio bruto
4.311.000.000 US$
Gastos operativos
3.511.000.000 US$
Beneficio operativo
800.000.000 US$
Partidas no operativas e impuestos
75.000.000 US$
Beneficio neto
875.000.000 US$
Resumen del balanceCómo se mantienen y financian los activos declarados en el período seleccionado.
StockMarketAgent.AI
Composición de activosFinanciado por
Activos totales24,5 mil M US$Efectivo5413 M US$Activos corrientes12,2 mil M US$Pasivos totales21,9 mil M US$Pasivos corrientes16,7 mil M US$Patrimonio neto2547 M US$
Datos del desglose del balance
Activos totales
24.452.000.000 US$
Efectivo
5.413.000.000 US$
Activos corrientes
12.199.000.000 US$
Pasivos totales
21.905.000.000 US$
Pasivos corrientes
16.657.000.000 US$
Patrimonio neto
2.547.000.000 US$
Puente de flujo de cajaCómo el flujo de caja operativo se convirtió en flujo de caja libre en FY2025.
StockMarketAgent.AI
Conciliación del flujo operativo
Beneficio neto1294 M US$Depreciación y amortización+887 M US$Compensación basada en acciones+398 M US$Otros ajustes operativos+1301 M US$Flujo de caja operativo3880 M US$
Conciliación del efectivo inicial al final
Efectivo inicial5574 M US$Flujo de caja operativo+3880 M US$Flujo de inversión−531 M US$Flujo de financiación−2136 M US$Efecto del tipo de cambio+189 M US$Efectivo final6976 M US$
3880 M US$ − 770 M US$Flujo de caja libre 3110 M US$
Datos del puente de flujo de caja
Beneficio neto
1.294.000.000 US$
Entrada operativa
3.880.000.000 US$
Depreciación y amortización
887.000.000 US$
Compensación basada en acciones
398.000.000 US$
Otros ajustes operativos
1.301.000.000 US$
Flujo de caja operativo
3.880.000.000 US$
Efectivo disponible
9.643.000.000 US$
Efectivo inicial
5.574.000.000 US$
Efecto del tipo de cambio
189.000.000 US$
Salida de inversión
531.000.000 US$
Salida de financiación
2.136.000.000 US$
Efectivo final
6.976.000.000 US$
Flujo de inversión
-531.000.000 US$
Flujo de financiación
-2.136.000.000 US$
Ingresos por regiónProporción de los ingresos totales de 2025-12-31.
14,7 mil M US$Ingresos totales
Ingresos por regiónProporción
United States8710 M US$59,1 %+4 % interanual
Non Us6023 M US$40,9 %+13,2 % interanual
Fuente: SEC EDGAR · Presentado 2026-02-13 · SEC EDGAR
Datos de composición de ingresos: Ingresos por región
Ingresos por región
Ingresos
Proporción
interanual
United States
8710 M US$
59,1 %
4 %
Non Us
6023 M US$
40,9 %
13,2 %
Ingresos y beneficiosCómo la escala del negocio se convierte en beneficio declarado.
Efectivo y deudaLiquidez disponible frente al endeudamiento total.
Generación de efectivoFlujo de caja operativo frente al flujo de caja libre.
RentabilidadEvolución de los márgenes bruto, operativo y neto.
Datos financieros puntuales utilizados en el análisis del 2026-10-04.
Datos del historial financiero
Período
Ingresos
EBITDA
Beneficio neto
Flujo de caja operativo
Flujo de caja libre
Capex
Depreciación y amortización
Compensación basada en acciones
Recompras de acciones
Dividendos pagados
Emisión neta de deuda
Flujo de inversión
Flujo de financiación
Efectivo inicial
Efectivo final
Efectivo e inversiones
Deuda total
Margen operativo
ROIC
WACC
Diferencial ROIC−WACC
2016-12-31
8773,6 M US$
1244 M US$
282 M US$
1549 M US$
800 M US$
749 M US$
794,2 M US$
242 M US$
456 M US$
150,2 M US$
—
-718 M US$
-691 M US$
—
1818 M US$
1869,1 M US$
3159,3 M US$
5,3 %
—
5,7 %
—
2017-12-31
10,1 mil M US$
1488 M US$
378 M US$
1845 M US$
1135 M US$
710 M US$
889,5 M US$
149 M US$
312 M US$
175,8 M US$
—
-1581 M US$
688 M US$
1818 M US$
2917 M US$
3315 M US$
4249 M US$
6,2 %
—
5,5 %
—
2018-12-31
11,2 mil M US$
1634 M US$
406 M US$
1975 M US$
1097 M US$
878 M US$
959 M US$
203 M US$
923 M US$
186 M US$
—
-559 M US$
-1489 M US$
2917 M US$
2705 M US$
2471 M US$
3717 M US$
6,4 %
—
6,2 %
—
2019-12-31
12,1 mil M US$
1851 M US$
565 M US$
2767 M US$
1607 M US$
1160 M US$
910 M US$
241 M US$
743 M US$
195 M US$
—
-1553 M US$
175 M US$
2705 M US$
4097 M US$
3841 M US$
4938 M US$
7,5 %
—
5,1 %
—
2020-12-31
5199 M US$
-428 M US$
-2612 M US$
-3834 M US$
-4631 M US$
797 M US$
893 M US$
205 M US$
425 M US$
48 M US$
—
-263 M US$
4077 M US$
4097 M US$
4138 M US$
3387 M US$
8216 M US$
-52,3 %
—
—
—
2021-12-31
8598 M US$
1076 M US$
12 M US$
3748 M US$
3075 M US$
673 M US$
814 M US$
418 M US$
165 M US$
67 M US$
—
-931 M US$
-973 M US$
4138 M US$
5805 M US$
4311 M US$
8450 M US$
2,2 %
—
8,7 %
—
2022-12-31
11,7 mil M US$
1607 M US$
352 M US$
3440 M US$
2778 M US$
662 M US$
792 M US$
374 M US$
607 M US$
67 M US$
-2141 M US$
-580 M US$
-2624 M US$
5805 M US$
5851 M US$
4144 M US$
6240 M US$
9,3 %
—
8,2 %
—
2023-12-31
12,8 mil M US$
2070 M US$
797 M US$
2690 M US$
1844 M US$
846 M US$
807 M US$
413 M US$
2137 M US$
0 US$
0 US$
-800 M US$
-2096 M US$
5851 M US$
5661 M US$
4253 M US$
6253 M US$
8,0 %
—
9,3 %
—
2024-12-31
13,7 mil M US$
2626 M US$
1234 M US$
3085 M US$
2329 M US$
756 M US$
838 M US$
458 M US$
1839 M US$
0 US$
0 US$
-1262 M US$
-1745 M US$
5661 M US$
5574 M US$
4483 M US$
6266 M US$
9,6 %
—
10,2 %
—
2025-12-31
14,7 mil M US$
2777 M US$
1294 M US$
3880 M US$
3110 M US$
770 M US$
887 M US$
398 M US$
1930 M US$
200 M US$
-59 M US$
-531 M US$
-2136 M US$
5574 M US$
6976 M US$
5733 M US$
6161 M US$
12,7 %
—
9,1 %
—
§9 Comparación de valoración con pares
Valor razonableReport-date price
Expedia Group, Inc.EXPE
Precio / valor razonable
Valor razonable267,03 US$Report-date price265 US$
Fecha de evaluación
Ventaja competitivaNarrow
Cuadro de mando de inversión60 / 100
Airbnb, Inc.ABNB
Precio / valor razonable
Valor razonable109,08 US$Report-date price173,7 US$
Fecha de evaluación
Ventaja competitivaNarrow
Cuadro de mando de inversión68 / 100
Booking Holdings Inc.BKNG
Precio / valor razonable
Valor razonable292,84 US$Report-date price193,29 US$
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.
§10 Industria y cicloEN
Fase del ciclo
Expansion
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
Ciclo alcista
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.
Ciclo bajista
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.
Tendencias seculares
Tendencia
Impacto
Nota
Direct app adoption and unified multi-brand loyalty ecosystem
positive
Consumers are increasingly booking travel directly through mobile apps and participating in consolidated rewards programs like One Key, boosting loyalty tier repeat transactions and protecting Expedia's two-thirds direct booking mix.
Generative AI search evolution and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)
neutral
Generative AI search platforms and Google Travel format changes are transforming traditional search discovery. While organic SEO remains soft, early deployment of Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and conversational AI plug-ins positions Expedia to capture emerging prompt-based bookings.
Posicionamiento
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.3,5,7,8
§11 Gestión de posiciónEN
Tamaño de posición
2-3%
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 casefair 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.4,5,6
Riesgo
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.
Q3 revenue below $4.65B or full-year revenue below $16.05B
Review top-line assumptions and evaluate whether discretionary leisure travel demand is contracting faster than anticipated.
§12 Perspectivas de inversoresEN
Value / Fundamental Perspective
Hold
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.4,6
Growth / Momentum Perspective
Hold
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.1,5
Risk-Conscious / Defensive Perspective
Hold
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.4,7
§14 Recomendación finalEN
Acción
Mantener
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.1,3,4,5
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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Sources
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.
Macro Discretionary Travel Contraction & B2C Room Night Reversal
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.1,5,8
FV impact
-7.5%
Revenue and EPS growth 5 points lower for five years
Trigger
Within 18 months
OTA Multiple Derating to Historic Cyclical Trough
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.3,4
FV impact
-7.4%
Terminal multiple 20% lower
Trigger
Within 12 months
Cost of Capital Expansion Under Macro Tightening
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.2,4
Confirms performance marketing ad inflation or competitor take-rate compression is overriding overhead efficiency, requiring a >15% cut to free cash flow projections.
Falsifies the international expansion thesis, proving inability to scale B2B distribution abroad against regional incumbents and requiring a reduction in terminal growth.
Actual:$6,023M in FY2025 (40.9% of total)
Alerta siAt or below 2.0% YoY
04
Direct consumer booking share
Demonstrates AI search answer engines and Google Travel format shifts are disintermediating organic traffic, forcing higher cost-per-click customer acquisition spend.
Actual:67% (two-thirds direct)
Alerta siBelow 60% with consecutive quarters of declining organic search visits
05
Gross bookings year-over-year growth
Signals broad consumer travel contraction and room night reversal, cutting operating leverage and impairing merchant cash flow float.
Actual:12% growth in Q2 2026
Alerta siNegative YoY growth across two consecutive quarters
Discounted forecast-period cash flows (54,36 US$) plus discounted terminal value (169 US$) minus signed per current share (3,74 US$) equals the 220 US$ lens value shown above. Negative net debt is , so subtracting it raises value.
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 $30.89.1,5
Negative working capital dynamics and low capex requirements enable free cash flow to substantially exceed reported net income, providing strong capacity for share buybacks and debt service.
Platform consolidation delivers demonstrable operating leverage on fixed overheads.
Fixed overhead costs were flat YoY in Q2 2026 despite 14% revenue expansion, and full-year FY2026 EBITDA marginguidance was raised by 150-175 bps.
Consolidated tech migration allows incremental revenue to flow through to operating profit at attractive rates, lifting operating margins toward 13.70%-15.50%.
B2B distribution is a high-margin growth engine with superior unit economics.
B2B expansion outpaces retail growth, creating positive margin mix shift that supports consolidated earnings power even as retail OTA take rates remain capped.
Yum! Brands, Inc.YUM
Precio / valor razonable
Valor razonable133,09 US$Report-date price136,12 US$
Fecha de evaluación
Ventaja competitivaWide
Cuadro de mando de inversión65 / 100
Margen
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.
Opportunistic entry / Accumulation checkpoint
Aligns with the primary FCFFDCF valuation midpoint of $219.65 and represents an ~18% discount to fair value ($267.03), establishing an attractive risk-adjusted entry zone.