** Shares of online travel company Expedia Group EXPE.O rise 2.5% to $231.50 premarket
** Jefferies upgrades EXPE's rating to "buy" from "hold"; raises price target to $300 from $240
** New PT represents a 32.9% upside to stock's last close
** Brokerage says EXPE's continued delivery of high-single-digit plus lodging bookings growth and 100+ basis points of annual EBITDA margin expansion reinforce its confidence in the stock
** Adds that EXPE's recent acceleration in business‑to‑consumer lodging, positive demand signals across U.S. travel and elevated traffic growth support its constructive outlook
** Jefferies says EXPE is set to benefit from more than three-year period of 20%+ earnings growth, with upside from a higher valuation multiple
** Median PT of 38 brokerages covering the stock is $268.50 - data compiled by LSEG
** As of last close, EXPE was down 20.3% YTD
(Reporting by Megavarshini G. Somasundaram in Bengaluru)
((Megavarshini.SomasundaramGnanasundari@thomsonreuters.com))
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