Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 476,480 Shares of Zillow Group, Inc. $Z

Key Points

• Vanguard Group cut its stake in Zillow by 2.1%, selling 476,480 shares and now holds 22,597,382 shares (about 9.34%) valued at roughly $1.54 billion.
• Other institutional activity included Greencape Capital raising its position to 2.72M shares and M&T Bank initiating a new stake worth $196.7 million, while insiders sold 60,801 shares (~$2.68 million) last quarter; institutional ownership is ~71.01% and insiders own ~25.03%.
• Zillow shares trade near $44.40 (1‑year range $39.05–$93.88) with a market cap of $10.65 billion and an elevated P/E (~493x); the company reported $0.39 EPS (missed by $0.03) and has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with an average target of $90.60.

Vanguard Group Inc. cut its position in shares of Zillow Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:Z - Free Report) by 2.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,597,382 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 476,480 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 9.34% of Zillow Group worth $1,541,593,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG raised its position in Zillow Group by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG now owns 3,923 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $268,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares in the last quarter. Greencape Capital Pty Ltd raised its position in Zillow Group by 30.4% during the 4th quarter. Greencape Capital Pty Ltd now owns 2,722,911 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $185,757,000 after purchasing an additional 634,510 shares in the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp bought a new stake in Zillow Group during the 4th quarter valued at $196,677,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its holdings in shares of Zillow Group by 10.1% in the 4th quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 60,911 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $4,163,000 after acquiring an additional 5,576 shares during the period. Finally, Optas LLC increased its holdings in shares of Zillow Group by 128.6% in the 4th quarter. Optas LLC now owns 14,299 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $975,000 after acquiring an additional 8,044 shares during the period. 71.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Zillow Group Price Performance

Shares of Z stock opened at $44.40 on Friday. Zillow Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $39.05 and a 1-year high of $93.88. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $43.70 and its 200 day moving average price is $59.50. The company has a market cap of $10.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 493.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 2.14.

Zillow Group (NASDAQ:Z - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The financial services provider reported $0.39 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $654.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $650.40 million. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Zillow Group, Inc. will post 0.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on Z shares. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Zillow Group in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Zillow Group in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Mizuho downgraded Zillow Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Zelman & Associates upgraded Zillow Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Barclays upgraded Zillow Group from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Zillow Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $90.60.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Dan Spaulding sold 5,361 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.95, for a total transaction of $235,615.95. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 41,080 shares in the company, valued at $1,805,466. The trade was a 11.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CTO David A. Beitel sold 3,966 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.22, for a total value of $175,376.52. Following the sale, the chief technology officer owned 136,690 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,044,431.80. The trade was a 2.82% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 60,801 shares of company stock worth $2,683,986 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 25.03% of the company's stock.

Zillow Group 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.

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