Zillow Group (NASDAQ:Z) Raised to Strong-Buy at Zelman & Associates

Zillow Group (NASDAQ:Z) was upgraded by stock analysts at Zelman & Associates from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report issued on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Z has been the topic of a number of other reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Zillow Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Barclays upgraded shares of Zillow Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Mizuho cut shares of Zillow Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on shares of Zillow Group from $80.00 to $65.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Zillow Group in a research note on Wednesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Zillow Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $90.60.

Zillow Group Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of NASDAQ Z opened at $43.45 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $10.52 billion, a PE ratio of 482.83, a PEG ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 2.08. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $65.62 and its 200-day moving average price is $73.90. Zillow Group has a twelve month low of $42.50 and a twelve month high of $93.88.

Zillow Group (NASDAQ:Z) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The financial services provider reported $0.39 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42 by ($0.03). Zillow Group had a return on equity of 0.56% and a net margin of 0.89%.The business had revenue of $654.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $650.40 million. As a group, research analysts expect that Zillow Group will post 0.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Zillow Group

In other news, COO Jun Choo sold 2,061 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.23, for a total transaction of $91,158.03. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 108,927 shares in the company, valued at $4,817,841.21. This represents a 1.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CTO David A. Beitel sold 3,966 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.22, for a total transaction of $175,376.52. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer directly owned 136,690 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,044,431.80. The trade was a 2.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 23,753 shares of company stock worth $1,148,029. 25.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in Z. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Zillow Group by 32.8% in the 3rd quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. now owns 546 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of Zillow Group by 2.5% during the second quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,747 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $403,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ increased its position in shares of Zillow Group by 0.3% in the third quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ now owns 48,575 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,743,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in Zillow Group by 20.5% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 954 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. raised its stake in Zillow Group by 58.6% in the third quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 441 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.01% of the company’s stock.

Zillow Group News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Zillow Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zelman & Associates upgraded Zillow from “hold” to “strong-buy,” giving the stock a near-term bullish analyst catalyst. Zacks Zelman Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Some investors/analysts view the pullback as a buying opportunity — a Seeking Alpha piece argues AI competition is not an existential threat and recommends buying the plunge, which could support bargain-hunters. Seeking Alpha: Buy The Plunge
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 revenue of about $654M slightly topped Wall Street’s estimate, a mild positive for top-line momentum but not enough to offset the EPS miss. Benzinga: Earnings Recap
• Negative Sentiment: Zillow missed on adjusted EPS ($0.39 vs. $0.42 expected), which is the primary driver cited for the recent selloff and the weekly/near-term price weakness. Benzinga: Earnings Miss
• Negative Sentiment: The stock has hit a new 52‑week / 12‑month low, reflecting investor concern and technical weakness that can prompt further selling. Investing.com: 52-Week Low
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple insiders — including the general counsel, CTO, COO and CAO — sold shares in mid‑February, which may be interpreted negatively by the market even if the trades are routine. (SEC filings disclose the trades.) SEC Form 4 Insider Sales
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing litigation and related disclosures remain a drag on sentiment and are cited in coverage as an additional headwind for the stock. MSN: Litigation Pressure
• Negative Sentiment: Broader analyst and media coverage highlights the projected earnings shortfall as the catalyst for the sharp weekly decline, reinforcing negative sentiment. The Motley Fool: Why Stock Dropped

About Zillow Group

Zillow Group, Inc is an online real estate marketplace company that operates a portfolio of consumer-facing websites and mobile apps designed to connect buyers, sellers, renters, homeowners and real estate professionals. The company’s platforms aggregate property listings, rental listings, and related information to help users search for homes, estimate property values and connect with agents and service providers. Zillow generates revenue primarily through advertising and lead-generation services for real estate professionals, property managers and mortgage lenders.

Key products and services include the Zillow and Trulia consumer websites and apps, which provide searchable listings, photos, neighborhood data and the company’s automated home valuation tool known as the “Zestimate.” Zillow also offers a rentals marketplace, a mortgage marketplace and tools for home buying and selling such as Zillow Premier Agent for agent advertising and leads, as well as ancillary services designed to support transactions, including closing and title-related offerings.