Expedia Group to Post Q1 Earnings: What's in the Cards for the Stock?

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Expedia Group to Post Q1 Earnings: What's in the Cards for the Stock?

Expedia Group EXPE is scheduled to report first-quarter 2026 earnings on May 7.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for EXPE’s first-quarter 2026 revenues is pegged at $3.34 billion, indicating an 11.92% increase from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure.

The consensus mark for earnings is pegged at $1.41 per share, unchanged over the past 30 days. The figure reflects a substantial improvement compared with earnings of 40 cents in the year-ago quarter.

Expedia Group’s earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters and missed once, delivering an earnings surprise of 2.98%, on average.

Expedia Group, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise

Expedia Group, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise

Expedia Group, Inc. price-eps-surprise | Expedia Group, Inc. Quote

Let’s see how things have shaped up for EXPE before the announcement.

Factors Likely to Shape EXPE’s Q1 Results

Expedia Group’s B2B segment has emerged as a key growth engine, supported by its scalable technology platform, extensive global travel supply and expanding partner network. In the fourth quarter of 2025, B2B gross bookings rose 24% year over year, driven by increased activity from existing partners, onboarding of new partners and higher engagement from travel agents, alongside continued double-digit growth across regions. This momentum, combined with ongoing investments in new capabilities and offerings, is expected to have driven strong transaction volumes and revenue contribution, and is likely to have boosted EXPE’s overall performance in the first quarter of 2026.

Expedia Group provided a strong outlook for the first quarter of 2026, projecting gross bookings of $34.6-$35.2 billion, representing growth of 10-12% year over year. The company expects revenues of $3.32-$3.37 billion, indicating 11-13% year-over-year growth, along with an adjusted EBITDA margin expansion of 3-4 percentage points. This guidance reflects continued demand strength, effective execution of strategic initiatives and operating leverage following solid fourth-quarter momentum. The outlook signals confidence in sustained growth across core segments and improving profitability trends. Based on this robust guidance, EXPE is expected to have delivered strong top-line growth and margin expansion in the quarter under review.

Expedia Group has been actively embedding artificial intelligence across its platform to enhance user experience, improve conversion and drive operational efficiency. The company is leveraging AI for personalized recommendations, faster product development, improved customer service resolution and more efficient inventory onboarding, while also enhancing marketing targeting and ad relevance. These initiatives have already contributed to better attach rates, higher self-service levels and reduced service costs. As these capabilities scale, AI-driven enhancements are expected to have improved conversion efficiency and cost structure, and are likely to have positively impacted EXPE’s performance in the first quarter of 2026.

However, Expedia Group’s to-be-reported quarter is expected to have been impacted by geopolitical disruptions and intensifying competitive pressures. Management highlighted that growth in certain international markets, particularly Asia, was already weighed down by geopolitical issues in recent quarters, indicating continued regional demand volatility entering 2026. At the same time, the company operates in an increasingly crowded landscape, facing strong competition from online travel agencies, supplier-direct channels, search engines and emerging AI-driven platforms, many of which offer better pricing, loyalty benefits or enhanced user experiences. This combination of uneven global demand and elevated competitive intensity is likely to have pressured booking growth, increased customer acquisition costs and limited margin expansion.

What Our Model Says About EXPE Stock

Our proven model predicts an earnings beat for Expedia Group this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat, which is exactly the case here.

EXPE currently has an Earnings ESP of +10.04% and a Zacks Rank #3. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they are reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Other Stocks to Consider

Here are some other companies worth considering, as our model shows that they also have the right combination of elements to beat on earnings in their upcoming releases:

Hasbro Inc. HAS currently has an Earnings ESP of +5.81% and a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

HAS shares have gained 14.6% in the year-to-date period. HAS is set to report first-quarter 2026 results on May 11.

AMC Entertainment AMC currently has an Earnings ESP of +5.82% and a Zacks Rank #2.

AMC shares have declined 5.8% in the year-to-date period. AMC is scheduled to report first-quarter 2026 results on May 5.

Corsair Gaming CRSR currently has an Earnings ESP of +1.89% and a Zacks Rank #3.

CRSR shares have appreciated 15.7% in the year-to-date period. CRSR is slated to report first-quarter 2026 results on May 7.

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Hasbro, Inc. (HAS): Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Expedia Group, Inc. (EXPE): Free Stock Analysis Report
 
AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (AMC): Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Corsair Gaming, Inc. (CRSR): Free Stock Analysis Report

This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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