As previously reported, Craig-Hallum analyst Brad Berning downgraded Zillow (ZG) to Hold from Buy after the company announced the expansion of its Instant Offers program to Phoenix in addition to Las Vegas and Orlando. The program, under which the company buys and sells homes with Premier Agent partners, will require what he estimates to be about $3B of capital, which Zillow intends to fund using its balance sheet, while only creating what he estimates will be about $3B in incremental shareholder value, Berning tells investors. Thus, he sees the expansion as "a wash" for shareholder value, but one that comes at the price of potential added risk. Berning lowered his price target on Zillow to $50 from $58.

Jefferies raised the firm's price target on Zillow to $77 from $75 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares. The firm expects upside in Q1, though higher mortgage rates and softer housing data exiting the quarter could encourage Zillow to guide Q2 conservatively. Still, the firm sees tailwinds from new products driving upside to consensus in the coming years, the analyst added in a preview note for the U.S. Internet group.