Zillow Shares Rise 0.97% on $300M Volume, Rank 353rd Amid Insider Sales and Institutional Buying Spree

On August 12, 2025, Zillow Group (Z) rose 0.97% to $80.92, with a trading volume of $0.3 billion, ranking 353rd in the market. The stock’s performance coincided with insider activity as Gordon Stephenson, a Zillow director, exercised 6,835 Class C shares at $21.46 and sold them immediately at a weighted average price of $82.0787. The transaction reduced Stephenson’s direct holdings to 28,290 shares and indirect holdings to 40,000 via Stephenson Family LLC. The fully vested option, granted in March 2016 and expiring in March 2026, was executed as a liquidity event with no additional governance implications.

Additional insider transactions included CEO Jeremy Wacksman selling 10,984 shares for $757,676, cutting his ownership by 6.02%, and Dan Spaulding disposing of 5,534 shares, reducing his stake by 7.44%. Institutional investors, however, increased holdings, with Forsta AP Fonden raising its stake by 102.3% to 69,000 shares valued at $4.73 million. Analysts maintained a mixed outlook, with Wedbush reiterating an "outperform" rating and a $100 price target, while others like Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their targets to $76.

A backtested strategy of buying the top 500 stocks by daily volume and holding for one day yielded a $2,300 profit from 2022 to 2025, though it faced a -15.7% drawdown in early 2023, underscoring market volatility.