Errol Samuelson Sells 2,939 Shares of Zillow Group (NASDAQ:Z) Stock

Key Points

• Insider sale: Zillow insider Errol Samuelson sold 2,939 shares at an average price of $37.97, worth about $111,594. The sale reduced his holdings by 2.15% and was made to cover tax withholding tied to vesting equity awards.
• Stock and earnings update: Zillow shares rose 0.8% to $37.66, near the stock’s 1-year low and well below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages. The company recently reported quarterly EPS of $0.53, beating analyst expectations of $0.43, with revenue also slightly above estimates.
• Sentiment and analyst backdrop: Recent news was mixed, including positive survey data supporting Zillow’s broad-listing strategy but also legal investigations and other insider selling. Wall Street currently rates the stock a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $79.75.

Zillow Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:Z - Get Free Report) insider Errol Samuelson sold 2,939 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.97, for a total value of $111,593.83. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 134,039 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,089,460.83. This trade represents a 2.15% 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 the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards.

Zillow Group Stock Up 0.8%

Z traded up $0.29 during trading on Friday, reaching $37.66. The stock had a trading volume of 3,070,440 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,081,978. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 150.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 2.07. Zillow Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $36.76 and a 1-year high of $93.88. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $43.14 and a two-hundred day moving average of $57.40.

Zillow Group (NASDAQ:Z - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $0.53 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.43 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $708.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $705.10 million. Zillow Group had a return on equity of 1.41% and a net margin of 2.27%. On average, research analysts forecast that Zillow Group, Inc. will post 0.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zillow Group News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zillow published new survey data supporting its marketplace strategy, showing most soon-to-be sellers prefer broad public exposure over private listing networks. The findings reinforce Zillow’s argument that full-market visibility and real-time demand signals help sellers achieve better outcomes. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Zillow CEO Jeremy Wacksman was featured in an interview about the company’s evolution from a desktop-only search engine into a major real-estate app. The article is more of a branding/strategy profile than a near-term financial catalyst. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: General Counsel Bradley D. Owens sold shares on May 14 and May 15, though the trades were made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan and were tied to tax withholding from vesting equity awards. Insider sales can still weigh on sentiment when the stock is already under legal scrutiny.
• Negative Sentiment: Several plaintiff-side law firms announced investigations into Zillow, increasing the risk of distraction, legal costs, and possible headline pressure on the shares. Article Title

Institutional Trading of Zillow Group

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Weiss Asset Management LP acquired a new stake in Zillow Group during the 1st quarter valued at $1,743,000. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp raised its stake in Zillow Group by 27.9% during the 1st quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 8,249 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $341,000 after purchasing an additional 1,801 shares during the period. Tiger Global Management LLC raised its stake in Zillow Group by 21.7% during the 1st quarter. Tiger Global Management LLC now owns 7,368,957 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $304,927,000 after purchasing an additional 1,312,000 shares during the period. Inceptionr LLC acquired a new stake in Zillow Group during the 1st quarter valued at $222,000. Finally, Capula Management Ltd raised its stake in Zillow Group by 7,656.3% during the 1st quarter. Capula Management Ltd now owns 57,352 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,373,000 after purchasing an additional 58,111 shares during the period. 71.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Z has been the topic of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Zillow Group from $84.00 to $76.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Zacks Research raised Zillow Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Barclays raised Zillow Group from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings raised Zillow Group from a "sell (d)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Zelman & Associates raised Zillow Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Zillow Group currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $79.75.

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.

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