Zillow Group’s (Z) “Hold” Rating Reiterated at Needham & Company LLC

Needham & Company LLC reissued their hold rating on shares of Zillow Group (NASDAQ:Z) in a research report released on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Zillow Group in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Barclays raised Zillow Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on 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. Mizuho lowered Zillow Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Zillow Group from $94.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $90.60.

Zillow Group Price Performance

NASDAQ:Z opened at $43.45 on Wednesday. Zillow Group has a 12-month low of $42.50 and a 12-month high of $93.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 482.83, a P/E/G ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 2.08. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $65.62 and a 200 day simple moving average of $73.90.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Zillow Group

In other Zillow Group news, COO Jun Choo sold 2,061 shares of Zillow Group stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,817,841.21. The trade was a 1.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CTO David A. Beitel sold 3,966 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.22, for a total value of $175,376.52. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer owned 136,690 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,044,431.80. This represents a 2.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 23,753 shares of company stock worth $1,148,029 in the last 90 days. 25.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of Z. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Zillow Group by 0.3% during the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Capital World Investors boosted its stake in Zillow Group by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 10,826,066 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $738,554,000 after purchasing an additional 191,058 shares in the last quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd boosted its stake in Zillow Group by 2.0% in the third quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 4,825,287 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $371,788,000 after purchasing an additional 93,339 shares in the last quarter. Eminence Capital LP grew its holdings in shares of Zillow Group by 63.6% during the second quarter. Eminence Capital LP now owns 3,978,731 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $278,710,000 after purchasing an additional 1,546,577 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Zillow Group by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,838,788 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $261,882,000 after buying an additional 143,726 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.01% of the company’s stock.

Key Zillow Group News

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

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.