Zillow Group (NASDAQ:Z) COO Sells $91,158.03 in Stock

Zillow Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:Z) COO Jun Choo sold 2,061 shares of Zillow Group 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 owned 108,927 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,817,841.21. This trade represents a 1.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Zillow Group Stock Performance

Shares of Z opened at $43.45 on Monday. Zillow Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $42.50 and a 1 year high of $93.88. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $65.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $73.82. The company has a market capitalization of $10.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 482.83, a PEG ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 2.08.

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). Zillow Group had a return on equity of 0.56% and a net margin of 0.89%.The firm had revenue of $654.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $650.40 million. Equities analysts expect that Zillow Group, Inc. will post 0.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Zillow Group by 0.3% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 23,073,862 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,777,841,000 after acquiring an additional 71,336 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its holdings in Zillow Group by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 10,826,066 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $738,554,000 after purchasing an additional 191,058 shares in the last quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd increased its holdings in Zillow Group by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 4,825,287 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $371,788,000 after purchasing an additional 93,339 shares in the last quarter. Eminence Capital LP raised its position in Zillow Group by 63.6% in the second quarter. Eminence Capital LP now owns 3,978,731 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $278,710,000 after purchasing an additional 1,546,577 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Zillow Group by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,838,788 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $261,882,000 after purchasing an additional 143,726 shares in the last quarter. 71.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Zelman & Associates raised Zillow Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Zillow Group in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped 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 research report on Monday, February 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Zillow Group from $94.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Zillow Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.