Zillow Group (NASDAQ:Z) Given Sell (D-) Rating at Weiss Ratings

Key Points

• Zillow Group has been given a "sell (D-)" rating by Weiss Ratings, which underscores concerns about the company's stock performance.
• Analysts have varied opinions on Zillow Group, with ratings ranging from "strong buy" to "sell," and the stock has an average target price of $90.38.
• Insider trading activity shows notable sales, including Chairman Richard N. Barton selling 200,000 shares, indicating a 19.17% decrease in his position.

Zillow Group (NASDAQ:Z - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "sell (d-)" rating reaffirmed by research analysts at Weiss Ratings in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Weiss Ratings reports.

A number of other analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Zillow Group from $81.00 to $88.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Zillow Group from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $105.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Gordon Haskett upgraded shares of Zillow Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Oppenheimer began coverage on shares of Zillow Group in a research note on Monday. They issued a "market perform" rating for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Zillow Group from $79.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $90.38.

Zillow Group Price Performance

Z traded down $1.56 on Wednesday, reaching $71.18. 995,672 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,730,882. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $82.89 and its 200-day moving average price is $74.20. Zillow Group has a 52-week low of $57.00 and a 52-week high of $93.88. The company has a market cap of $17.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -273.76, a PEG ratio of 20.61 and a beta of 2.13.

Insider Activity at Zillow Group

In other news, Chairman Richard N. Barton sold 200,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.92, for a total transaction of $16,984,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman directly owned 843,248 shares of the company's stock, valued at $71,608,620.16. This trade represents a 19.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Jeremy Hofmann sold 25,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.99, for a total transaction of $2,249,750.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 84,146 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,572,298.54. This represents a 22.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 657,087 shares of company stock worth $56,286,479. 23.76% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Zillow Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Zillow Group by 1.8% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 23,002,526 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,611,327,000 after buying an additional 412,571 shares in the last quarter. Independent Franchise Partners LLP grew its stake in shares of Zillow Group by 2.5% in the first quarter. Independent Franchise Partners LLP now owns 11,153,697 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $764,697,000 after buying an additional 271,084 shares in the last quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd boosted its position in Zillow Group by 17.4% during the second quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 4,731,948 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $331,473,000 after purchasing an additional 702,445 shares during the period. Eminence Capital LP boosted its position in 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 period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Zillow Group by 2.3% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,142,403 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $219,467,000 after purchasing an additional 69,630 shares during the period. 71.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Zillow Group

Zillow Group, Inc operates real estate brands in mobile applications and Websites in the United States. The company offers premier agent and rentals marketplaces, new construction marketplaces, advertising, display advertising, and business technology solutions, as well as dotloop and floor plans. It also provides mortgage originations and the sale of mortgages, and advertising to mortgage lenders and other mortgage professionals; and title and escrow services.

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