Business Description
CoStar Group, Inc. provides information, analytics, and online marketplace services to the commercial real estate, hospitality, residential, and related professionals industries in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America. It offers CoStar Property that provides inventory of office, industrial, retail, multifamily, hospitality, and student housing properties and land; CoStar COMPS, a robust database of comparable commercial real estate sales transactions; CoStar Market Analytics to view and report on aggregated market and submarket trends; and CoStar Tenant, an online business-to-business prospecting and analytical tool that provides tenant information. The company also provides Lease Comps and Analysis, a tool to capture, manage, and maintain lease data; CoStar Lease Analysis; Public Record, a searchable database of commercially-zoned parcels; CoStar Real Estate Manager, a real estate lease administration, portfolio management, and lease accounting compliance software solution; and CoStar Risk Analytics and CoStar Investment. In addition, it offers apartment marketing sites, such as ApartmentFinder.com, ForRent.com, ApartmentHomeLiving.com, WestsideRentals.com, AFTER55.com, CorporateHousing.com, ForRentUniversity.com, Apartamentos.com, and Off Campus Partners; LoopNet Premium Lister; LoopNet Diamond, Platinum, and Gold Ads; LandsofAmerica.com, LandAndFarm.com, and LandWatch.com for rural land for-sale; BizBuySell.com, BizQuest.com, and FindaFranchise.com for operating businesses and franchises for-sale; Ten-X, an online auction platform for commercial real estate; and HomeSnap, an online and mobile software platform, as well as Homes.com, a homes for sale listings site. CoStar Group, Inc. was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Washington, the District of Columbia.
Business History
Generated: Jun 3, 2026 7:49pmPrice Overview
Last updated: Jun 3, 2026 7:46pm (23d ago)Price History (1 Year)
Revenue & Net Income Trend
| Period | Revenue | Net Income | Net Margin | YoY/QoQ |
|---|
Key Metrics
EPS (Diluted): 0.02
Total Equity: $8.33B
Shares: 420,700,000
Total Debt: $1.02B
Cash: $1.73B
EBITDA: $272.00M
Total Debt: $1.02B
Cash: $1.73B
Revenue: $3.25B
Revenue: $3.25B
Revenue: $3.25B
Total Equity: $8.33B
Tax Rate: 76.7%
Equity: $8.33B
Total Debt: $1.02B
Cash: $1.73B
Current Liabilities: $746.00M
Long-Term Debt: $993.00M
Total Debt: $1.02B
Total Equity: $8.33B
Shares: 420,700,000
Shares: 420,700,000
CapEx: -$389.00M
Shares: 420,700,000
Stock Price: $33.40
Net Income: $7.00M
Industry Benchmarks
Advanced Analysis Forensic deep-dive · three lenses
Deep Analysis
Pre-flight intelligence scans the company first, then routes to the right analytical methods.
Income Statement (Annual)
Last updated: Jun 3, 2026 7:53pm (23d ago)| Metric | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $1.9B | $2.2B | $2.5B | $2.7B | $3.2B |
| Cost of Revenue | $357.2M | $414.0M | $491.5M | $558.5M | $804.0M |
| Gross Profit | $1.6B | $1.8B | $2.0B | $2.2B | $2.4B |
| Operating Expenses | $1.2B | $1.3B | $1.7B | $2.2B | $2.5B |
| Operating Income | $432.3M | $451.0M | $282.3M | $4.7M | -$72.0M |
| Net Income | $292.6M | $369.5M | $374.7M | $138.7M | $7.0M |
| EBITDA | $571.9M | $588.9M | $389.8M | $151.6M | $272.0M |
| EPS | $0.75 | $0.93 | $0.92 | $0.34 | $0.02 |
| EPS (Diluted) | — | — | — | — | — |
Balance Sheet (Annual)
Last updated: Jun 3, 2026 7:49pm (23d ago)| Metric | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash & Equivalents | $3.8B | $5.0B | $5.2B | $4.7B | $1.7B |
| Total Current Assets | $4.0B | $5.2B | $5.5B | $5.0B | $2.1B |
| Total Assets | $7.3B | $8.4B | $8.9B | $9.3B | $10.5B |
| Current Liabilities | $338.7M | $372.6M | $455.8M | $552.3M | $746.0M |
| Long-Term Debt | $987.9M | $989.2M | $990.5M | $991.9M | $993.0M |
| Total Liabilities | $1.5B | $1.5B | $1.6B | $1.7B | $2.2B |
| Total Equity | $5.7B | $6.9B | $7.3B | $7.6B | $8.3B |
| Retained Earnings | $1.5B | $1.8B | $2.2B | $2.3B | $2.4B |
Cash Flow (Annual)
Last updated: Jun 3, 2026 7:53pm (23d ago)| Metric | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash Flow | $469.7M | $478.6M | $489.5M | $392.6M | $430.0M |
| Capital Expenditure | -$65.2M | -$58.6M | -$25.3M | -$637.9M | -$389.0M |
| Free Cash Flow | $404.5M | $420.0M | $464.2M | -$245.3M | $41.0M |
| Acquisitions (net) | -$193.0M | -$6.3M | -$99.6M | -$276.7M | -$2.3B |
| Debt Repayment | — | — | — | — | — |
| Dividends Paid | — | — | — | — | — |
| Stock Buybacks | -$33.3M | -$23.1M | -$26.4M | -$29.5M | -$575.0M |
| Net Change in Cash | $71.2M | $1.1B | $247.9M | -$534.9M | -$2.9B |
Analyst Estimates (Annual)
Last updated: Jun 3, 2026 7:46pm (23d ago)| Metric | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue |
$4.3B $4.2B – $4.4B
|
$4.8B $4.8B – $4.8B
|
$5.5B $5.4B – $5.6B
|
$6.2B $6.1B – $6.3B
|
| EBITDA |
$736.1M $717.2M – $762.0M
|
$832.9M $832.4M – $833.4M
|
$946.0M $930.7M – $965.0M
|
$1.1B $1.0B – $1.1B
|
| Net Income |
$725.9M $628.5M – $823.2M
|
$922.1M $774.4M – $1.1B
|
$1.2B $1.2B – $1.3B
|
$1.6B $1.5B – $1.6B
|
| EPS | — | — | — | — |
Growth Trends (YoY %)
Last updated: Jun 3, 2026 7:53pm (23d ago)| Metric | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth | +12.3% | +12.5% | +11.5% | +18.7% |
| Gross Profit Growth | +11.4% | +11.0% | +10.9% | +12.2% |
| Operating Income Growth | +4.3% | -37.4% | -98.3% | -1,631.9% |
| Net Income Growth | +26.3% | +1.4% | -63.0% | -95.0% |
| EBITDA Growth | +3.0% | -33.8% | -61.1% | +79.4% |
Insider Trading (Recent)
Last updated: Jun 3, 2026 7:53pm (23d ago)All SEC Form 4 codes
- P Purchase
- Open-market or private purchase of shares.
- S Sale
- Open-market or private sale of shares.
- A Award / grant
- Grant or award of securities (RSUs, options, etc.) under Rule 16b-3.
- D Return to issuer
- Securities disposed back to the company under Rule 16b-3.
- F In-kind (tax)
- Shares withheld or delivered to pay the option-exercise price or tax — not an open-market sale.
- I Discretionary
- Discretionary transaction under an employee plan — Rule 16b-3(f).
- M Option exercise
- Exercise or conversion of a derivative (option/RSU) into shares — exempt.
- C Conversion
- Conversion of a derivative security into the underlying shares.
- E Short expiration
- Expiration of a short derivative position.
- H Long expiration
- Expiration or cancellation of a long derivative position with value received.
- O OTM exercise
- Exercise of an out-of-the-money derivative.
- X ITM exercise
- Exercise of an in-the-money or at-the-money derivative.
- G Gift
- Bona fide gift of securities.
- L Small acquisition
- Small acquisition under Rule 16a-6.
- W Inheritance
- Acquisition or disposition by will or the laws of descent.
- Z Voting trust
- Deposit into or withdrawal from a voting trust.
- J Other
- Other acquisition or disposition (explained in a Form 4 footnote).
- K Equity swap
- Transaction in an equity swap or similar instrument.
- U Tender / buyout
- Disposition via tender of shares in a change-of-control transaction.
Compensation-plan codes (A, D, F, M) are routine and rarely directional. Open-market P (buy) and S (sale) carry the most signal.
| Date | Insider | Type | Shares | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-23 | Glaser Rachel C | A-Award | 8,262.00 | $0.00 | $0 |
| 2026-06-23 | BERISFORD JOHN L | A-Award | 8,262.00 | $0.00 | $0 |
| 2026-06-23 | Hill John W | A-Award | 8,262.00 | $0.00 | $0 |
| 2026-06-23 | Brunner Angelique G. | A-Award | 8,262.00 | $0.00 | $0 |
| 2026-06-23 | Musslewhite Robert W | A-Award | 8,262.00 | $0.00 | $0 |
| 2026-06-23 | Sams Louise S | A-Award | 8,262.00 | $0.00 | $0 |
| 2026-06-23 | McCarthy Christine M | A-Award | 8,262.00 | $0.00 | $0 |
| 2026-06-15 | Cann Cynthia Cammett | F-InKind | 461.00 | $32.04 | $14,770 |
| 2026-05-01 | FLORANCE ANDREW C | P-Purchase | 3,100.00 | $35.82 | $111,042 |
| 2026-05-01 | FLORANCE ANDREW C | P-Purchase | 68,330.00 | $35.17 | $2.4M |
| 2025-03-25 | McCarthy Christine M | 0.00 | $0.00 | $0 | |
| 2026-03-15 | Boxer Gene | F-InKind | 482.00 | $43.63 | $21,030 |
| 2026-03-15 | Ruggles Lisa | F-InKind | 2,977.00 | $43.63 | $129,887 |
| 2026-03-15 | Boxer Gene | F-InKind | 428.00 | $43.63 | $18,674 |
| 2026-03-15 | SIMURO FRANK | F-InKind | 11,107.00 | $43.63 | $484,598 |
| 2026-03-15 | Banerjee Nana | 0.00 | $0.00 | $0 | |
| 2026-03-15 | DESMARAIS MICHAEL J | F-InKind | 2,873.00 | $43.63 | $125,349 |
| 2026-03-15 | Cann Cynthia Cammett | F-InKind | 1,194.00 | $43.63 | $52,094 |
| 2026-03-10 | Cann Cynthia Cammett | A-Award | 4,374.00 | $46.34 | $202,691 |
| 2026-03-10 | FLORANCE ANDREW C | A-Award | 124,162.00 | $46.34 | $5.8M |
Narrative Economics
market-narrative step).
Delvantic AI Findings
The raw numbers tell a brutal story that the models have largely sanitized. Revenue is genuinely accelerating — $677M → $897M over seven quarters, a 32% lift, with YoY at 29% in the latest print ($897M vs $697M-ish implied). That's the bull case in one line. But operating income went from $451M in 2022 to -$72M in 2025 on $3.25B of revenue, and free cash flow collapsed from healthy nine-figures to $41M against $389M of capex. Net income of $7M on $3.25B is a 0.2% margin for a business that ran 17% net margins three years ago. The 545x P/E isn't a measurement error to wave away — it's telling you earnings have been deliberately incinerated. At $33.40 and $13.6B market cap, you're paying 4.2x sales and ~330x FCF for a company whose operating margin trajectory is -2.2% TTM and worsening sequentially (Q1 2026 NI margin 0.3%).
The prior models are directionally aligned but soft-pedaling the asymmetry. Pre-flight calls this a "platform-transition" and frames the capex as buildout, not destruction — that's the management narrative, not an independent read. The synthesis labels it "high conviction required" and frames it as a barbell, which is analytically honest. Market Forces is the most candid: "asymmetric downside risk… no clear path to recovery." The Narrative layer's "anchored, moderate intensity" feels wrong to me — when 99%+ of GAAP earnings have evaporated and the stock has fallen from ~$97 to $33 (a 66% drawdown), the narrative IS doing most of the valuation work, not the fundamentals. Calling it "anchored" understates how much of today's $13.6B cap depends on believing Homes.com eventually monetizes. The classification engine calling this "high_growth_profitable" at 0.72 confidence is just wrong — it's high-growth unprofitable, and the rules-based tag should be discarded.
The contrarian case the models underweight: CoStar has burned through ~$1B+ in cumulative Homes.com marketing/capex chasing Zillow, and Zillow itself trades at ~$17B with actual profitability and 20 years of category ownership. The "Amazon playbook" framing is seductive but historically rare — for every Amazon there are ten companies that destroyed margin permanently and never got it back (think Groupon, Blue Apron, Wayfair). The insider activity is interesting but thin: two small open-market purchases on 2026-05-01 (3,100 and 68,330 shares) against a sea of F-InKind tax withholdings is a weak buy signal, not a confirming one — and the data has 2026 dates which suggests stale/forward-tagged feed issues worth flagging. The balance sheet tile is missing total debt and equity entirely, which is a real gap: with $1.73B cash but unknown debt, I can't compute net cash properly, and EV/EBITDA of 47x suggests meaningful debt or the market is capitalizing very little EBITDA. Revenue confidence is flagged "decelerating" in secondary signals despite 29% YoY — that's the sequential Q4→Q1 dip ($900M → $897M) which may just be seasonality but bears watching.
My verdict: I dissent mildly from "High Conviction Required" in the direction of "lean negative." The synthesis treats this as a coin flip on Florance's execution; I think the risk/reward is worse than that. To justify $33.40, you need to believe ~$3.25B of revenue compounds at 18-20% for another 3-4 years AND operating margins recover to 20%+ — that gets you to ~$5B revenue and $1B operating income by 2028, which at 20x earnings is ~$20B equity value, or ~$50/share. So even the bull case offers maybe 50% upside over 3 years, while the bear case (Homes.com written down, multiple compresses to 3x sales on commercial-only, ~$2.5B segment revenue) gets you to $7-8B equity, or $17-20/share — 40-50% downside. That's a negatively skewed payoff, not a barbell. The right action is to wait: I want to see two consecutive quarters of operating margin expansion (target: op margin back above 10% on a quarterly basis) before paying this multiple. The Q1 2026 print of 0.3% NI margin on $897M revenue suggests we are nowhere near that inflection.
GPT Critique
Analyzing CoStar Group's recent financial data reveals some key insights. The company has demonstrated impressive revenue growth, with a 32% increase over seven quarters, reaching $897 million in Q1 2026. However, this growth has come at the expense of profitability. Operating income fell from $451 million in 2022 to a loss of $72 million in 2025, and net income has dwindled to a mere $7 million on $3.25 billion in revenue, translating to a net margin of just 0.2%. The company’s high price-to-earnings ratio of 545 indicates near-zero earnings, and the free cash flow has drastically decreased from robust levels to $41 million, despite significant capital expenditures of $389 million. These figures suggest that while CoStar is aggressively expanding, particularly in its residential platform, its financial health is precarious.
Opus argues that CoStar's narrative is dominated by a platform transition and that its current valuation heavily relies on the potential success of Homes.com. I agree with Opus's observation that the narrative is doing a lot of the valuation work, especially considering the stock's 66% drawdown from ~$97 to $33. Opus correctly highlights the risk of the Homes.com investment not materializing as planned, comparing it to historical failures like Groupon and Blue Apron. I align with Opus’s assessment that the classification of CoStar as "high-growth profitable" is misleading given its current financial struggles.
However, I diverge from Opus’s interpretation of the insider activity and the narrative's intensity. While Opus sees the insider purchases as a weak signal, I believe any insider buying amidst such volatility could indicate some level of confidence from within the company, albeit not a strong one. Additionally, I view the narrative's "anchored" classification as somewhat justified; despite the earnings collapse, CoStar's core commercial real estate data business remains a significant anchor, though the narrative premium is admittedly high.
A careful skeptic might argue that both Opus and I are overemphasizing short-term financial metrics at the expense of CoStar's long-term strategic positioning. They might point out that CoStar's aggressive reinvestment could pay dividends if Homes.com gains significant market traction, arguing that the high P/E and EV/EBITDA ratios reflect not current earnings, but potential future outcomes. They might also argue that the company’s strong cash position indicates a capacity to endure short-term losses for long-term gain.