Zillow Group (NASDAQ:Z) Reaches New 12-Month Low on Insider Selling

Key Points

• Zillow Group shares hit a new 52-week low after insider selling, with the stock falling to as low as $36.27 during intraday trading. The move came alongside elevated attention to recent executive sales.
• CFO Jeremy Hofmann and insider Dan Spaulding sold shares under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, and the sales were tied to tax withholding on equity vesting. That context makes the insider activity less negative than a discretionary sale.
• Despite the stock weakness, Wall Street sentiment remains relatively constructive: analysts still assign Zillow a Moderate Buy consensus with an average price target of $79.75. Zillow also recently beat quarterly earnings estimates, reporting $0.53 per share versus $0.43 expected.

Shares of Zillow Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:Z - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Tuesday after an insider sold shares in the company. The stock traded as low as $36.27 and last traded at $37.5660, with a volume of 378485 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $37.17.

Specifically, CFO Jeremy Hofmann sold 5,501 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.40, for a total transaction of $205,737.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 68,315 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,554,981. This trade represents a 7.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 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. Also, CFO Jeremy Hofmann sold 3,671 shares of Zillow Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.93, for a total transaction of $139,241.03. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 73,816 shares in the company, valued at $2,799,840.88. This trade represents a 4.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 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. In other news, insider Dan Spaulding sold 3,078 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.40, for a total value of $115,117.20. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 49,696 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,858,630.40. This represents a 5.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at 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.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Key Stories Impacting Zillow Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zillow’s “hottest rental markets” update kept the company visible and reinforced its position as a leading housing data and rentals platform. Article: Summer 2026's hottest rental market? Zillow says Providence
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider selling by CFO Jeremy Hofmann and insider Dan Spaulding came under pre-arranged 10b5-1 plans and was related to tax withholding on equity vesting, limiting the bearish signal.
• Negative Sentiment: News that MRED may disrupt listing data feeds creates operational risk for Zillow’s core listing business. Article: MRED Announces Potential Disruption to Listing Data Feeds to Zillow Group
• Negative Sentiment: A report on a potential antitrust trial adds legal uncertainty around Zillow’s listing transparency practices and long-term valuation. Article: Zillow Faces Antitrust Trial As Listing Transparency Shapes Valuation Story

Zillow Group Trading Up 1.0%

The stock has a market capitalization of $8.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 150.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 2.07. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $42.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $56.85.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Zillow Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Zillow Group during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Zillow Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Zillow Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. increased its stake in Zillow Group by 58.6% during the 3rd quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 441 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the period. Finally, Pittenger & Anderson Inc. increased its stake in Zillow Group by 32.8% during the 3rd quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. now owns 546 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the period. 71.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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