Bradley Owens Sells 2,017 Shares of Zillow Group (NASDAQ:Z) Stock

Zillow Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:Z) General Counsel Bradley Owens sold 2,017 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.20, for a total value of $89,151.40. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel directly owned 35,957 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,589,299.40. This represents a 5.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Zillow Group Stock Performance

Z stock opened at $43.45 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $10.52 billion, a PE ratio of 482.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 2.08. Zillow Group, Inc. has a one year low of $42.50 and a one year high of $93.88. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $65.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $73.86.

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

Institutional Trading of Zillow Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in Zillow Group in the third quarter valued at $27,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Zillow Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd bought a new position in Zillow Group in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. lifted its holdings 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 worth $34,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the period. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Zillow Group by 58.2% during the 2nd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 503 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 185 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Z has been the subject of several analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Zillow Group in a report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Zillow Group from $94.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Zillow Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on shares of Zillow Group from $80.00 to $65.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Barclays raised shares of Zillow Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $90.60.

Zillow Group Company Profile

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.