Expedia Group

Expedia Group Reports Third Quarter 2024 Results

November 7, 2024

Continued strength in room night growth at 9%

Sequential acceleration in gross bookings growth to 7%

Raises full-year guidance

Announces Chief Financial Officer transition

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE) announced financial results today for the third quarter ended September 30, 2024.

Third Quarter Highlights

Booked room nights grew 9% compared to 2023, with Brand Expedia growing at mid-teens.
Total gross bookings of $27.5 billion grew 7% compared to 2023, a more than 150 basis point acceleration from the second quarter.
B2C gross bookings increased 3% year-over-year, a 2-point acceleration from the second quarter. B2B had yet another strong quarter with gross bookings up 19% year-over-year.
Lodging gross bookings of $20.0 billion grew 8% compared to 2023. Within that, hotel bookings were up 10% compared to 2023.
Revenue of $4.1 billion grew 3% compared to 2023, which includes a 2 point negative impact from FX. B2B revenue of $1.2 billion grew 18% compared to 2023.
Repurchased approximately 12.0 million shares for $1.6 billion year-to-date.

“Our third quarter results exceeded our expectations on gross bookings and earnings with revenue landing in-line. We accelerated bookings growth in our consumer business for the second consecutive quarter, and our advertising and B2B businesses continue to deliver strong double-digit growth," said Ariane Gorin, CEO of Expedia Group.

Expedia Group and Julie Whalen have agreed that she will step down from her role as Expedia Group’s Chief Financial Officer, effective upon the appointment of her successor, which is expected to occur before February 17, 2025. Ms. Whalen has agreed to remain with the Company through February 17, 2025 to facilitate a smooth transition. Ms. Whalen has also resigned as a member of the Board of Directors of the Company, effective today. “I want to thank Julie for all she has done for Expedia Group as a board member and as CFO over the last five years. We are grateful for her contributions,” said Ariane Gorin, CEO of Expedia Group.

Financial Summary & Operating Metrics (In millions except per share amounts)

	Expedia Group, Inc.
Metric	Q3 2024	Q3 2023	Δ Y/Y
Booked room nights	97.4	89.3	9%
Gross bookings	$27,498	$25,685	7%
Revenue	$4,060	$3,929	3%
Operating income	$762	$607	26%
Net income attributable to Expedia Group, Inc.	$684	$425	61%
Diluted earnings per share	$5.04	$2.87	76%
Adjusted EBITDA*	$1,250	$1,216	3%
Adjusted EBIT*	$892	$903	(1)%
Adjusted net income*	$809	$778	4%
Adjusted EPS*	$6.13	$5.41	13%
Net cash used in operating activities	$(1,493)	$(1,375)	9%
Free cash flow*	$(1,687)	$(1,588)	6%

* A reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures to the most comparable GAAP measures is provided at the end of this release.

Conference Call

Expedia Group, Inc. will webcast a conference call to discuss third quarter 2024 financial results and certain forward-looking information on Thursday, November 7, 2024 at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time (PT). The webcast will be open to the public and available via ir.expediagroup.com. Expedia Group expects to maintain access to the webcast on the IR website for approximately twelve months subsequent to the initial broadcast.

About Expedia Group

Expedia Group, Inc. brands power travel for everyone, everywhere through our global platform. Driven by the core belief that travel is a force for good, we help people experience the world in new ways and build lasting connections. We provide industry-leading technology solutions to fuel partner growth and success, while facilitating memorable experiences for travelers.

Expedia Group’s three flagship consumer brands includes: Expedia®, Hotels.com®, and Vrbo®. One Key™ is our comprehensive loyalty program that unifies Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo into one simple, flexible travel rewards experience. To enroll in One Key, download Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo mobile apps for free on iOS and Android devices. One Key is currently available in the U.S. and U.K.

Expedia Group, Inc.
Trended Metrics
(All figures in millions)

The metrics below are intended to supplement the financial statements in this release and in our filings with the SEC, and do not include adjustments for one-time items, acquisitions, foreign exchange or other adjustments. The definition or methodology of any of our supplemental metrics are subject to change, and such changes could be material. We may also discontinue certain supplemental metrics as our business evolves over time. In the event of any discrepancy between any supplemental metric and our historical financial statements, you should rely on the information included in the financial statements filed with or furnished to the SEC.

	2022				2023				2024			Full Year
	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Q1	Q2	Q3	2022	2023
Units sold
Booked room nights	77.0	82.5	81.6	70.8	94.5	89.7	89.3	77.4	101.2	98.9	97.4	312.0	350.9
Booked air tickets	13.1	13.5	12.2	11.1	14.0	13.6	12.8	11.4	14.2	14.5	13.8	49.9	51.9

Gross bookings by business model
Agency	$11,346	$12,773	$10,904	$9,469	$13,425	$12,370	$10,927	$9,439	$13,301	$12,578	$11,379	$44,492	$46,161
Merchant	13,066	13,366	13,083	11,042	15,976	14,951	14,758	12,233	16,863	16,259	16,119	50,557	57,918
Total	$24,412	$26,139	$23,987	$20,511	$29,401	$27,321	$25,685	$21,672	$30,164	$28,837	$27,498	$95,049	$104,079

Lodging gross bookings	$17,756	$17,867	$17,099	$14,117	$21,055	$19,167	$18,513	$15,253	$21,903	$20,749	$20,027	$66,839	$73,987

Revenue by segment
B2C	$1,740	$2,420	$2,707	$1,874	$1,921	$2,415	$2,819	$1,958	$1,986	$2,432	$2,780	$8,741	$9,113
B2B	432	650	788	676	668	861	995	864	833	1,049	1,178	2,546	3,388
trivago (third-party revenue)	77	111	124	68	76	82	115	65	70	77	102	380	338
Total	$2,249	$3,181	$3,619	$2,618	$2,665	$3,358	$3,929	$2,887	$2,889	$3,558	$4,060	$11,667	$12,839

Revenue by product
Lodging	$1,610	$2,400	$2,881	$2,014	$2,029	$2,698	$3,233	$2,304	$2,228	$2,862	$3,317	$8,905	$10,264
Air	74	95	100	93	113	111	100	86	115	111	104	362	410
Advertising and media - EG ⁽¹⁾	89	102	98	108	99	119	125	140	145	152	167	397	483
Advertising and media - trivago ⁽¹⁾	77	111	124	68	76	82	115	65	70	77	102	380	338
Other ⁽²⁾	399	473	416	335	348	348	356	292	331	356	370	1,623	1,344
Total	$2,249	$3,181	$3,619	$2,618	$2,665	$3,358	$3,929	$2,887	$2,889	$3,558	$4,060	$11,667	$12,839

Revenue by geography
U.S. points of sale	$1,656	$2,208	$2,358	$1,717	$1,748	$2,172	$2,440	$1,787	$1,793	$2,246	$2,435	$7,939	$8,147
Non-U.S. points of sale	593	973	1,261	901	917	1,186	1,489	1,100	1,096	1,312	1,625	3,728	4,692
Total	$2,249	$3,181	$3,619	$2,618	$2,665	$3,358	$3,929	$2,887	$2,889	$3,558	$4,060	$11,667	$12,839


Adjusted EBITDA by segment ⁽³⁾
B2C	$188	$582	$943	$411	$148	$653	$1,056	$468	$215	$654	$1,028	$2,124	$2,325
B2B	80	156	221	142	133	206	266	193	172	263	338	599	798
Other ⁽⁴⁾	(95)	(90)	(85)	(104)	(96)	(112)	(106)	(129)	(132)	(131)	(116)	(374)	(443)
Total	$173	$648	$1,079	$449	$185	$747	$1,216	$532	$255	$786	$1,250	$2,349	$2,680

Net income (loss) attributable to Expedia Group, Inc. ⁽⁵⁾	$(122)	$(185)	$482	$177	$(145)	$385	$425	$132	$(135)	$386	$684	$352	$797

(1) Our advertising and media business consists of Expedia Group ("EG") Media Solutions, which is responsible for generating advertising revenue on our global online travel brands, and third-party revenue for trivago, a leading hotel metasearch site.
(2) Other revenue primarily includes insurance, car rental, destination services and cruise revenue.
(3) See the section below titled "Tabular Reconciliations for Non-GAAP Measures — Adjusted EBITDA by segment" for additional details.
(4) Other is comprised of trivago, corporate and intercompany eliminations.
(5) Expedia Group does not calculate or report net income (loss) by segment.

Notes:

All trivago revenue is classified as Non-U.S. point of sale.
Some numbers may not add due to rounding. All percentages throughout this release are calculated on precise, unrounded numbers.


EXPEDIA GROUP, INC. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (In millions, except share and per share data) (Unaudited)

	Three months ended September 30,						Nine months ended September 30,
		2024			2023			2024			2023

Revenue	$	4,060		$	3,929		$	10,507		$	9,952
Costs and expenses:
Cost of revenue (exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below) ⁽¹⁾		388			412			1,108			1,233
Selling and marketing - direct		1,855			1,671			5,298			4,737
Selling and marketing - indirect ⁽¹⁾		197			185			580			563
Technology and content ⁽¹⁾		320			340			992			1,001
General and administrative ⁽¹⁾		229			194			595			572
Depreciation and amortization		211			208			626			599
Impairment of goodwill		—			297			—			297
Impairment of intangible assets		33			15			33			15
Legal reserves, occupancy tax and other		59			—			100			6
Restructuring and related reorganization charges ⁽¹⁾		6			—			72			—
Operating income		762			607			1,103			929
Other income (expense):
Interest income		67			56			185			162
Interest expense		(61	)		(62	)		(184	)		(184	)
Other, net		106			(157	)		103			(60	)
Total other income (expense), net		112			(163	)		104			(82	)
Income before income taxes		874			444			1,207			847
Provision for income taxes		(190	)		(139	)		(284	)		(295	)
Net income		684			305			923			552
Net loss attributable to non-controlling interests		—			120			12			113
Net income attributable to Expedia Group, Inc.	$	684		$	425		$	935		$	665

Earnings per share attributable to Expedia Group, Inc. available to common stockholders:
Basic	$	5.28		$	2.98		$	7.07		$	4.51
Diluted		5.04			2.87			6.75			4.37
Shares used in computing earnings per share (000's):
Basic		129,758			142,228			132,393			147,253
Diluted		135,732			147,748			138,655			152,172

(1) Includes stock-based compensation as follows:
Cost of revenue	$	3		$	3		$	9		$	10
Selling and marketing		19			20			61			60
Technology and content		40			35			120			105
General and administrative		85			47			167			139
Restructuring and related reorganization charges		—			—			8			—

EXPEDIA GROUP, INC. CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (In millions, except number of shares which are reflected in thousands and par value)

	September 30, 2024			December 31, 2023			September 30, 2023
	(Unaudited)						(Unaudited)
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	4,722		$	4,225		$	5,056
Restricted cash and cash equivalents		1,324			1,436			1,436
Short-term investments		196			28			—
Accounts receivable, net of allowance of $60, $46 and $52		3,764			2,786			2,753
Income taxes receivable		68			47			84
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		758			708			765
Total current assets		10,832			9,230			10,094
Property and equipment, net		2,400			2,359			2,354
Operating lease right-of-use assets		334			357			330
Long-term investments and other assets		1,527			1,238			1,155
Deferred income taxes		514			586			595
Intangible assets, net		947			1,023			1,149
Goodwill		6,851			6,849			6,845
TOTAL ASSETS	$	23,405		$	21,642		$	22,522

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable, merchant	$	1,980		$	2,041		$	1,887
Accounts payable, other		1,178			1,077			1,130
Deferred merchant bookings		9,413			7,723			8,394
Deferred revenue		173			164			167
Income taxes payable		114			26			108
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities		887			752			874
Current maturities of long-term debt		1,042			—			—
Total current liabilities		14,787			11,783			12,560
Long-term debt, excluding current maturities		5,221			6,253			6,250
Deferred income taxes		34			33			34
Operating lease liabilities		291			314			288
Other long-term liabilities		506			473			464
Commitments and contingencies
Stockholders’ equity:
Common stock: $.0001 par value; Authorized shares: 1,600,000		—			—			—
Shares issued: 286,437, 282,149 and 280,957; Shares outstanding: 123,316, 131,522 and 134,331
Class B common stock: $.0001 par value; Authorized shares: 400,000		—			—			—
Shares issued: 12,800; Shares outstanding: 5,523
Additional paid-in capital		15,890			15,398			15,227
Treasury stock - Common stock and Class B, at cost; Shares 170,397, 157,903 and 153,903		(14,677	)		(13,023	)		(12,550	)
Retained earnings (deficit)		303			(632	)		(764	)
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)		(194	)		(209	)		(240	)
Total Expedia Group, Inc. stockholders’ equity		1,322			1,534			1,673
Non-redeemable non-controlling interests		1,244			1,252			1,253
Total stockholders’ equity		2,566			2,786			2,926
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY	$	23,405		$	21,642		$	22,522

EXPEDIA GROUP, INC. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (In millions) (Unaudited)

	Nine months ended September 30,
		2024			2023
Operating activities:
Net income	$	923		$	552
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation of property and equipment, including internal-use software and website development		582			555
Amortization of intangible assets		44			44
Impairment of goodwill and intangible assets		33			312
Amortization of stock-based compensation		365			314
Deferred income taxes		66			49
Foreign exchange (gain) loss on cash, restricted cash and short-term investments, net		—			32
Realized (gain) loss on foreign currency forwards, net		(21	)		35
(Gain) loss on minority equity investments, net		(121	)		73
Other, net		69			34
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable		(1,007	)		(704	)
Prepaid expenses and other assets		(19	)		43
Accounts payable, merchant		(61	)		178
Accounts payable, other, accrued expenses and other liabilities		235			223
Tax payable/receivable, net		109			(55	)
Deferred merchant bookings		1,690			1,243
Net cash provided by operating activities		2,887			2,928
Investing activities:
Capital expenditures, including internal-use software and website development		(565	)		(669	)
Purchases of investments		(405	)		—
Sales and maturities of investments		43			49
Other, net		26			(15	)
Net cash used in investing activities		(901	)		(635	)
Financing activities:
Purchases of treasury stock		(1,641	)		(1,669	)
Proceeds from exercise of equity awards and employee stock purchase plan		77			53
Other, net		(26	)		17
Net cash used in financing activities		(1,590	)		(1,599	)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents		(11	)		(53	)
Net increase in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents		385			641
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period		5,661			5,851
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$	6,046		$	6,492
Supplemental cash flow information
Cash paid for interest	$	197		$	197
Income tax payments, net		97			228

Notes & Definitions:

Booked Room Nights : Represents booked hotel room nights and property nights for our B2C reportable segment and booked hotel room nights for our B2B reportable segment. Booked hotel room nights include both merchant and agency hotel room nights. Property nights are related to our alternative accommodation business.

Booked Air Tickets : Includes both merchant and agency air bookings.

Gross Bookings : Generally represent the total retail value of transactions booked, recorded at the time of booking reflecting the total price due for travel by travelers, including taxes, fees and other charges, adjusted for cancellations and refunds.

Lodging Metrics : Reported on a booked basis except for revenue, which is on a stayed basis. Lodging consists of both merchant and agency model hotel and alternative accommodations.

B2C : The B2C segment provides a full range of travel and advertising services to our worldwide customers through a variety of consumer brands including: Expedia, Hotels.com, Vrbo, Orbitz, Travelocity, Wotif Group, ebookers, Hotwire.com, and CarRentals.com.

B2B : The B2B segment fuels a wide range of travel and non-travel companies including airlines, offline travel agents, online retailers, corporate travel management and financial institutions, who leverage our leading travel technology and tap into our diverse supply to augment their offerings and market Expedia Group rates and availabilities to their travelers.

trivago : The trivago segment generates advertising revenue primarily from sending referrals to online travel companies and travel service providers from its localized hotel metasearch websites.

Corporate : Includes unallocated corporate expenses.

Non-GAAP Measures

Expedia Group reports Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA Margin, Adjusted EBIT, Adjusted EBIT Margin, Leverage Ratio, Adjusted Net Income (Loss), Adjusted EPS, Free Cash Flow and Adjusted Expenses (non-GAAP cost of revenue, non-GAAP selling and marketing, non-GAAP technology and content and non-GAAP general and administrative), all of which are supplemental measures to GAAP and are defined by the SEC as non-GAAP financial measures. These measures are among the primary metrics by which management evaluates the performance of the business and on which internal budgets are based. Management believes that investors should have access to the same set of tools that management uses to analyze our results. These non-GAAP measures should be considered in addition to results prepared in accordance with GAAP, but should not be considered a substitute for or superior to GAAP. Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted Net Income (Loss) and Adjusted EPS have certain limitations in that they do not take into account the impact of certain expenses to our consolidated statements of operations. We endeavor to compensate for the limitation of the non-GAAP measures presented by also providing the most directly comparable GAAP measures and descriptions of the reconciling items and adjustments to derive the non-GAAP measures. Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBIT, Adjusted Net Income (Loss) and Adjusted EPS also exclude certain items related to transactional tax matters, which may ultimately be settled in cash. We urge investors to review the detailed disclosure regarding these matters in the Management Discussion and Analysis and Legal Proceedings sections, as well as the notes to the financial statements, included in the Company's annual and quarterly reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The non-GAAP financial measures used by the Company may be calculated differently from, and therefore may not be comparable to, similarly titled measures used by other companies.

Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net income (loss) attributable to Expedia Group adjusted for:
(1) net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interests;
(2) provision for income taxes;
(3) total other expenses, net;
(4) stock-based compensation expense, including compensation expense related to certain subsidiary equity plans;
(5) acquisition-related impacts, including

(i) amortization of intangible assets and goodwill and intangible asset impairment,
(ii) gains (losses) recognized on changes in the value of contingent consideration arrangements; and
(iii) upfront consideration paid to settle employee compensation plans of the acquiree;

(6) certain other items, including restructuring;
(7) items included in legal reserves, occupancy tax and other, which includes reserves for potential settlement of issues related to transactional taxes (e.g. hotel and excise taxes), related to court decisions and final settlements, and charges incurred, if any, for monies that may be required to be paid in advance of litigation in certain transactional tax proceedings;
(8) that portion of gains (losses) on revenue hedging activities that are included in other, net that relate to revenue recognized in the period; and
(9) depreciation.

The above items are excluded from our Adjusted EBITDA measure because these items are non-cash in nature, or because the amount and timing of these items is unpredictable, not driven by core operating results and renders comparisons with prior periods and competitors less meaningful. We believe Adjusted EBITDA is a useful measure for analysts and investors to evaluate our future on-going performance as this measure allows a more meaningful comparison of our performance and projected cash earnings with our historical results from prior periods and to the results of our competitors. Moreover, our management uses this measure internally to evaluate the performance of our business as a whole and our individual business segments. In addition, we believe that by excluding certain items, such as stock-based compensation and acquisition-related impacts, Adjusted EBITDA corresponds more closely to the cash operating income generated from our business and allows investors to gain an understanding of the factors and trends affecting the ongoing cash earnings capabilities of our business, from which capital investments are made and debt is serviced.

Adjusted EBIT is defined as net income (loss) attributable to Expedia Group adjusted for:
(1) net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interests;
(2) provision for income taxes;
(3) total other expenses, net;
(4) acquisition-related impacts, including

(i) goodwill and intangible asset impairment,
(ii) gains (losses) recognized on changes in the value of contingent consideration arrangements; and
(iii) upfront consideration paid to settle employee compensation plans of the acquiree;

(5) certain other items, including restructuring;
(6) items included in legal reserves, occupancy tax and other, which includes reserves for potential settlement of issues related to transactional taxes (e.g. hotel and excise taxes), related to court decisions and final settlements, and charges incurred, if any, for monies that may be required to be paid in advance of litigation in certain transactional tax proceedings; and
(7) that portion of gains (losses) on revenue hedging activities that are included in other, net that relate to revenue recognized in the period.

The above items are excluded from our Adjusted EBIT measure because the amount and timing of these items is unpredictable, not driven by core operating results and renders comparisons with prior periods and competitors less meaningful. We believe Adjusted EBIT is a useful measure for analysts and investors to evaluate our future on-going performance as this measure allows a more comprehensive comparison of our performance with our historical results from prior periods and to the results of our competitors. Moreover, our management uses this measure internally to evaluate the performance of our business as a whole and it allows investors to gain an understanding of the factors and trends affecting profitability, including the ongoing costs to operating our business, which we believe are inclusive of non-cash items such as stock-based compensation.