Zillow Group (NASDAQ:Z) General Counsel Sells $125,241.72 in Stock

Key Points

• Zillow General Counsel Bradley Owens sold 3,364 shares on May 15 for about $125,242, reducing his ownership by 4.9%. The sale was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan and was tied to tax withholding from vested equity awards.
• Zillow reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting EPS of $0.53 versus the $0.43 consensus and revenue of $708 million, slightly ahead of estimates. Analysts now expect full-year EPS of 0.82.
• Wall Street remains mixed but generally constructive on the stock, with an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $79.75. Recent calls included upgrades from Wall Street Zen and Zelman, alongside price-target cuts from JPMorgan and KBW.

Zillow Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:Z - Get Free Report) General Counsel Bradley Owens sold 3,364 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.23, for a total value of $125,241.72. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel owned 65,245 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,429,071.35. This trade represents a 4.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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.

Zillow Group Price Performance

Zillow Group stock traded up $0.29 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $37.66. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,070,440 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,081,978. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $43.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $57.40. Zillow Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $36.76 and a 52-week high of $93.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 150.64, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 2.07.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on Z. Wall Street Zen upgraded Zillow Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Zillow Group from $84.00 to $76.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings raised Zillow Group from a "sell (d)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Zelman & Associates raised Zillow Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on Zillow Group from $60.00 to $50.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $79.75.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Zillow Group in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in Zillow Group during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd acquired a new stake in Zillow Group during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. grew its holdings in Zillow Group by 58.6% during the third quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 441 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares during the period. Finally, Pittenger & Anderson Inc. grew its holdings in Zillow Group by 32.8% during the third quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. now owns 546 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. 71.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Zillow Group

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

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.

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