LegalZoom.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:LZ) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of LegalZoom.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:LZ) have earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the nine research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $8.75.

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of LegalZoom.com from $8.00 to $7.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of LegalZoom.com from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of LegalZoom.com from $8.50 to $7.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and issued a $6.00 price objective (down from $9.00) on shares of LegalZoom.com in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of LegalZoom.com from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Jeffrey M. Stibel acquired 125,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $6.15 per share, for a total transaction of $768,750.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 2,955,609 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,176,995.35. This represents a 4.42% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Nicole Miller sold 19,199 shares of LegalZoom.com stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $6.58, for a total transaction of $126,329.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 1,119,222 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,364,480.76. The trade was a 1.69% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 5.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LegalZoom.com

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Clearstead Advisors LLC grew its stake in LegalZoom.com by 58.5% during the third quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 3,906 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 1,441 shares in the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its stake in LegalZoom.com by 477.3% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 4,555 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 3,766 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in LegalZoom.com by 976.4% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,564 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 4,140 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its position in LegalZoom.com by 8,589.8% during the third quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 5,127 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 5,068 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in LegalZoom.com during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $74,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.99% of the company’s stock.

LegalZoom.com Price Performance

LZ opened at $5.74 on Monday. LegalZoom.com has a twelve month low of $5.28 and a twelve month high of $12.40. The company has a fifty day moving average of $6.17 and a 200-day moving average of $7.63. The stock has a market cap of $985.27 million, a PE ratio of 95.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.31.

LegalZoom.com (NASDAQ:LZ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.12 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.13 by ($0.01). LegalZoom.com had a return on equity of 11.53% and a net margin of 1.46%.The firm had revenue of $206.78 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $202.14 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.13 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that LegalZoom.com will post 0.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LegalZoom.com declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, February 19th that permits the company to buyback $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 8.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

LegalZoom.com Company Profile

LegalZoom.com, Inc (NASDAQ: LZ) operates as a leading online legal technology company that provides a broad range of legal and business services to individuals, families and small businesses. Through its digital platform, the company offers customized legal documents and filing services, including business formation (LLCs, corporations and nonprofits), estate planning (wills and trusts), intellectual property protection (trademarks and copyrights), and ongoing compliance support. LegalZoom also connects customers with independent attorneys for consultations on matters such as family law, immigration and real estate.

Founded in 2001 by entrepreneurs Brian Lee, Brian P.