CSGPCompany Profile & Strategic M&A Analysis

CoStar Group, Inc.

Nasdaq: CSGP  ·  equity analysis & three-vertical M&A screen

An unrivaled real-estate data moat meeting a profitability inflection — trading at a seven-year low, roughly 70% below its own historical multiple.

$29.78
Share price (7/17/26)
$12.2bn
Market cap · EV ~$12.1bn
$3.8bn
FY26E revenue (+17%)
3.2×
FY26E EV / revenue
~$43
DCF value / share (+43%)
~$44
Street median target

Everything below is selectable text. ⧉ Copy puts each table on your clipboard as a formatted table with clickable links. Tables marked ƒx live also carry the build columns and copy as live Excel formulas — paste into cell A1 of a blank sheet and they recompute.

01Investment thesis

Five pillars behind an asymmetric setup

The swing factor is the residential segment turning profitable in Q2 2026 (guided) — the first hard proof Homes.com can monetize.

1

Category-defining data moat

2,000+ field researchers power the world's largest professionally-researched CRE database — ~79% gross margin, ~90% recurring revenue, and 60 consecutive quarters of double-digit revenue growth.

2

Profitability inflection underway

Adjusted EBITDA doubled YoY to $132mm in Q1'26; FY26E guidance of $780–820mm implies margins recovering from a ~9% trough (FY24) toward the mid-20s% by 2028.

3

Homes.com optionality vs. Zillow

A #2 U.S. residential portal — 35k paying agents (+205% YoY) and +119% organic traffic — with net investment cut >$300mm in 2026 en route to profitability by 2030.

4

Global platform build-out

Domain (Australia, ~A$3bn) and Matterport (~$1.6bn) extend CoStar into international residential and 3D spatial data; the pending Zonda deal ($800mm) adds new-home construction data.

5

Deep valuation dislocation

At a seven-year low the stock trades ~3.2x FY26E revenue — roughly 70% below its own history and a discount to information-services peers — with the Street's mean target implying ~55% upside.

02Company overview

CoStar Group at a glance

Profile

Founded / IPO1986 / 1998
HeadquartersArlington, Virginia
Employees~8,000 (20 countries)
ListingNasdaq: CSGP · S&P 500 member
Fiscal year endDecember 31
Recurring revenue~90% subscription
Growth streak60 consecutive DD-growth quarters
Acquisitions40+ since IPO

Management

Andy FloranceFounder & Chief Executive Officer
Robin RossmannChief Financial Officer (eff. Jul 2026)
Frank SimuroChief Technology Officer
Fred SaintPresident, Marketplaces
Source: CoStar IR ↗ & press releases (2026).

Financial summary & trading multiples

ƒx live
Line item ($mm)FY23AFY24AFY25AFY26EFY27EFY28E
Revenue2,4552,7363,2473,8004,2704,910
% growth+11%+19%+17%+12%+15%
Gross profit1,9632,1782,5613,0203,4003,930
% margin80%80%79%79%80%80%
Adj. EBITDA4922414428001,0251,250
% margin20%9%14%21%24%25%
Adj. EPS ($)0.730.871.361.782.40
EV / Revenue4.9x4.4x3.7x3.2x2.8x2.5x
EV / Adj. EBITDA24.6x50.1x27.3x15.1x11.8x9.7x
Source: CoStar IR ↗ & SEC filings. Growth, margin & multiple rows are live formulas; EV held at $12.1bn. Paste at cell A1.

Firm-value build

ƒx live
Closing price (7/17/26)$29.78
52-week high$97.43
% of 52-week high31%
Shares outstanding (mm)408
Market capitalization12,160
Plus: total debt1,140
Less: cash & investments(1,215)
Firm value / EV12,085
Firm value = market cap + debt − cash ≈ $12.1bn. Balance sheet is modest net cash (~$0.2bn). Live formulas — paste at cell A1.
03Business model

Two engines: a durable data franchise and fast-growing marketplaces

FY2025 revenue by segment

ƒx live
Segment (FY2025, $mm)Revenue% mix
CoStar — CRE info & analytics1,25939%
LoopNet31210%
Other Commercial (Ten-X, Matterport, Domain-comm.)2167%
Residential (Apartments.com, Homes.com)1,46045%
Total revenue (FY25A)3,247100%
Source: CoStar FY2025 release / SEC 8-K (two-segment reporting). % mix is live. Paste at cell A1.

Model highlights

  • ~90% of revenue is recurring subscription; annual CRE contracts renew in the high-90s%.
  • 60 consecutive quarters of double-digit revenue growth through Q1 2026.
  • Record $308mm net new bookings in FY2025 (+23% YoY); Homes.com a growing contributor.
  • Balance sheet near net-cash-neutral after funding Domain + Matterport; $1.5bn buyback authorized.
04Trading comparables

CoStar screens cheap on both frameworks

CoStar trades ~3.2x FY26E revenue — a steep discount to the ~9x information-services median while growing ~3x faster. The tables carry the underlying build (FV, revenue, EBITDA); the growth, margin and multiple columns copy as live Excel formulas. Subject row highlighted.

Information & analytics

ƒx live
CompanyFV ($bn)Mkt capRev 25ARev 26ERev 27EEBITDA 26EEBITDA 27EGross mgnRev gr 26ERev gr 27EEBITDA mgn 26EEV/Rev 26EEV/Rev 27EEV/EBITDA 26EEV/EBITDA 27E
CoStar Group12.112.23.253.804.270.801.0279%+17%+12%21%3.2x2.8x15.1x11.8x
S&P Global¹145.5133.415.1815.4815.828.138.3670%+2%+2%53%9.4x9.2x17.9x17.4x
Moody's95.189.27.738.278.894.324.7374%+7%+7%52%11.5x10.7x22.0x20.1x
MSCI52.045.83.143.513.822.192.4283%+12%+9%62%14.8x13.6x23.7x21.5x
Verisk30.426.33.083.233.451.821.9670%+5%+7%56%9.4x8.8x16.7x15.5x
FactSet10.59.22.362.502.620.931.0051%+6%+5%37%4.2x4.0x11.3x10.5x
Gartner11.19.46.606.536.531.591.6369%(1%)+0%24%1.7x1.7x7.0x6.8x
Morningstar7.96.62.462.632.720.810.8962%+7%+3%31%3.0x2.9x9.8x8.9x
Median — Info+6%+5%52%9.4x8.8x16.7x15.5x
Source: stockanalysis.com ↗ / MarketScreener consensus (~7/20/26). ¹ S&P Global's low growth reflects the 2026 "Mobility" spin-off. Build columns + live multiples; paste at cell A1.

Online real-estate marketplaces

ƒx live
CompanyFV ($bn)Mkt capRev 25ARev 26ERev 27EEBITDA 26EEBITDA 27EGross mgnRev gr 26ERev gr 27EEBITDA mgn 26EEV/Rev 26EEV/Rev 27EEV/EBITDA 26EEV/EBITDA 27E
Zillow Group7.47.82.572.963.360.760.9573%+15%+14%26%2.5x2.2x9.8x7.8x
REA Group14.514.71.181.261.360.630.6863%+7%+7%50%11.5x10.7x23.1x21.4x
Rightmove4.44.50.570.610.670.450.4993%+8%+9%73%7.2x6.6x9.8x9.0x
Auto Trader5.55.30.800.830.870.540.5779%+4%+5%65%6.6x6.3x10.1x9.6x
CarGurus3.33.20.921.031.140.340.3792%+12%+10%33%3.2x2.9x9.6x8.9x
Cars.com1.10.70.730.730.790.220.2367%+1%+7%31%1.5x1.4x4.9x4.8x
Median — Marketplaces+8%+8%42%4.9x4.6x9.8x8.9x
Source: stockanalysis.com ↗ / MarketScreener consensus (~7/20/26). Build columns + live multiples; paste at cell A1.
05Valuation

Multiple lenses converge on ~$40–55

Every lens except the depressed spot price converges on roughly $40–55/share — around the $44 consensus median and ~35–85% above the $29.78 current.

Valuation football field

Current $29.78
52-week trading range
$27$97
Broker price targets
$26$70
DCF (9.5% WACC ± g)
$35$55
EV / Revenue (3.0–5.0x FY27E)
$31$52
EV / EBITDA (14–20x FY27E)
$35$50
$20$40$60$80$100
MethodologyLowHighMidpoint / mark
52-week trading range$27$97
Broker price targets$26$70$44
DCF (9.5% WACC ± g)$35$55$43
EV / Revenue (3.0–5.0x FY27E)$31$52
EV / EBITDA (14–20x FY27E)$35$50

Discounted cash flow — fully live model

ƒx live
Line item ($mm)CY26ECY27ECY28ECY29ECY30E
Revenue3,8004,2704,9105,6006,350
% growth+12%+15%+14%+13%
Adj. EBITDA8001,0251,2501,6002,000
% margin21%24%25%29%31%
Less: D&A(115)(128)(147)(168)(190)
EBIT6858971,1031,4321,810
Less: taxes(164)(215)(265)(344)(434)
EBIAT5216828381,0881,376
Plus: D&A115128147168190
Less: capex(300)(280)(250)(230)(220)
(Inc.)/dec. in NWC4045556065
Unlevered FCF3765757901,0861,411
Discount period (mid-yr)0.51.52.53.54.5
Discount factor0.9560.8730.7970.7280.665
PV of FCF359502630791938
ASSUMPTIONS & VALUATION ($mm)
Terminal growth (g)3.0%
WACC9.5%
Tax rate24%
PV of forecast FCF3,219
Terminal value22,353
PV of terminal value14,199
Enterprise value17,418
Plus: net cash (ex-leases)215
Equity value17,633
÷ Diluted shares (mm)414
Implied value / share$42.59
Current price$29.78
Implied upside+43%
Fully live DCF — change any blue input (revenue, EBITDA, WACC, g) and it recomputes. Mid-year convention; illustrative. Paste the whole block at cell A1.
06Broker perspectives

Street targets & consensus

BrokerDateRatingTargetMethodology
Robert W. BairdJul '26Neutral$34Relative comps (cut on CFO departure)
RBC CapitalJul '26Sector Perform$34~18x CY27E P/E
Keefe BruyetteJul '26Outperform$41Sum-of-parts / EV-EBITDA on residential inflection
Goldman SachsJun '26Buy$46EV / EBITDA
Wells FargoJun '26Underweight$26Valuation reset until agent base scales
BenchmarkJun '26Buy$4518x 2027E adj. EBITDA (~$806mm)
BofA SecuritiesMay '26Neutral$37EV / EBITDA
StephensMay '26Overweight$42EV / EBITDA on CY27E
J.P. MorganApr '26Overweight$70EV / EBITDA
CitigroupApr '26Buy$70EV / EBITDA
BTIGApr '26Buy$55EV / EBITDA
JefferiesFeb '26Buy$67<15x normalized EV / EBITDA
Source: stockanalysis.com forecast ↗, MarketBeat, TipRanks, Investing.com — actual public 2026 actions. Targets vs. $29.78.

Consensus

ƒx live
Buy / Hold / Sell15 / 5 / 1
Mean target$46
Median target$44
High / Low$70 / $26
Upside to mean+54%
~15 Buy / 5 Hold / 1 Sell across all covering analysts — stockanalysis.com ↗.
07Share-price performance

A seven-year de-rating

Indexed to 100 (Jul-2023). CoStar de-rated to a seven-year low even as info-services peers and the S&P 500 advanced — see the annotated chart on slide 7.

DateCatalyst
Feb-24Homes.com $1bn+ brand blitz (4 Super Bowl ads); paid agent 'memberships' launch
Feb-25Q4'24 miss & soft FY25 guide; Homes.com net investment peaks near $850mm
Aug-25Completes Domain (Australia, ~$1.9bn) & Matterport; shares near 52-wk high $97
Oct-25Q3'25 net-new bookings +92% — yet shares gap down ~12% on margin worries
Feb–Mar-26Third Point / D.E. Shaw activist push; shares fall ~34% Jan→Mar
Apr–Jul-26Q1'26 rev +23% & EBITDA doubles, guide raised; CFO exit drives fresh 7-yr low
Source: month-end closes (stockanalysis.com); peer/S&P indices are reconstructions.
08Multiple history

The de-rating

CoStar’s NTM EV/Revenue compressed from an ~11–13x peak to ~3.2x — roughly a 70% de-rating; normalized P/E ~22x vs a ~76x historical mean. Series are best-effort reconstructions.

Multiple'21–'23 avg'24–'25 avgCurrent (Jul-26)
CoStar EV / EBITDA (NTM)30x22x15.1x
CoStar EV / Revenue (NTM)8.5x6.5x3.2x
Info & analytics EV / EBITDA18x17x16.7x
Marketplaces EV / EBITDA10.5x10x9.7x
Reconstructed from public prices & consensus (illustrative).
09Cost of capital

WACC & bottom-up beta

Cost of capital

ƒx live
Risk-free rate (10Y UST)4.55%
Equity risk premium5.0%
Levered beta (selected)1.00
Cost of equity (CAPM)9.55%
Pre-tax cost of debt5.40%
Tax rate24%
After-tax cost of debt4.10%
WACC (net-cash basis, used)9.55%
Net-cash company → WACC ≈ cost of equity. Bottom-up β ~0.9; CoStar 5Y 0.74. Baa3 (Moody's) / BBB (Fitch). Live formulas — paste at cell A1.

Bottom-up beta

ƒx live
CompanyLevered βNet debt ($bn)Mkt cap ($bn)D/EUnlevered β
CoStar (CSGP)0.74-0.112.2-1%0.74
S&P Global1.0812.1133.49%1.01
Moody's1.335.989.27%1.27
MSCI1.246.245.814%1.12
Verisk0.694.126.316%0.62
FactSet0.721.39.214%0.65
Gartner0.961.79.418%0.84
Morningstar1.011.36.620%0.88
Zillow1.95-0.47.8-5%2.03
REA Group0.65-0.214.7-1%0.66
Rightmove0.90-0.14.5-2%0.92
Auto Trader0.690.25.34%0.67
CarGurus1.180.13.23%1.15
Cars.com1.590.40.757%1.11
Levered β = stockanalysis.com ↗ 5Y-monthly (Jul-2026); D/E and unlevered β are live (Hamada, 24% tax). Paste at cell A1.
10Industry trends

Four forces shaping the story

The residential portal wars intensify

Homes.com's agent-centric model is scaling fast — 35k paying agents (+205% YoY), $106mm exit ARR (+92%) and +119% organic traffic — with the residential segment guided to turn profitable in Q2'26; comScore still ranks it #4 behind Zillow and Realtor.com.

Implication: The single most-watched catalyst: converting traffic into paid agents is the whole bull/bear debate.

Multifamily oversupply fuels ad demand

U.S. apartment vacancy hit ~8.6% — the highest since the post-GFC recovery — as a record supply wave leases up. Apartments.com grew +10% (its 15th straight double-digit quarter), the profitable engine that funds the residential build-out.

Implication: Peak landlord competition for renters = peak advertising demand for Apartments.com.

AI raises the value of proprietary data

The Feb-2026 Homes AI launch (on Azure OpenAI) lifted organic traffic +119% and ~4x on-site engagement; Matterport adds 14mm+ 3D spaces on top of 2,000+ researchers and $5bn+ of data investment.

Implication: Positions CoStar as an AI beneficiary and the clearest differentiator vs. Zillow.

Commercial real estate cycle recovers

CRE transaction volume was +40% YoY in late 2025 with brokers guiding +15–20% for 2026 as rates ease — a direct tailwind to LoopNet (+16%) and Ten-X, though the mature CoStar Suite (+8.5%) is the group's slowest grower.

Implication: A cyclical call option on 2026–27 re-acceleration in the core CRE franchise.

11TAM

A >$100bn stated global opportunity

SegmentTAMCoStar position
Homes.com — residential~$56bn#2 U.S. portal; <2% penetrated
Apartments.com — multifamily ads~$24bn#1 network; the profit engine
CoStar Suite — CRE data~$10bnMature, high-margin core (~10% pen.)
LoopNet — CRE marketplace~$7bnLeading CRE listing platform
Total stated global TAM$100bn+CoStar captures only ~3% today
Source: CoStar Jan-2026 Investor Presentation ↗; NAR/JCHS/NMHC unit counts.
12Bull vs. bear

An asymmetric setup hinging on Homes.com

▲ Bull

  • Unrivaled data moat — 2,000+ researchers, ~90% recurring revenue, 60 straight double-digit-growth quarters and high-90s% renewals — a franchise with real pricing power.
  • Profitability inflection — Adj. EBITDA doubled YoY in Q1'26; guided to ~$800mm (FY26E) → ~$1.25bn (FY28) → ~$2.3bn (2030) at a ~35% margin.
  • Homes.com optionality, near-free — #2 U.S. portal, 35k agents (+205%), residential guided to profitability in Q2'26 — the same Apartments.com playbook skeptics once dismissed.
  • Deep valuation dislocation — ~3x FY26E revenue (~70% below its own history); the market values the whole company near the CRE core alone (~$35bn). Street mean ~$46 (+54%).
  • Cleaner story, capital return — Third Point exited and management prevailed at the June-2026 proxy; a first-ever $1.5bn buyback is underway.

▼ Bear

  • Homes.com unproven — >$3bn invested for only ~$100mm revenue and ~$2bn cumulative losses; breakeven pushed to ~2030; comScore still ranks it #4 behind Zillow and Realtor.com.
  • Core decelerating — CoStar Suite (+8.5%) is the slowest segment; net-new bookings have missed expectations in some recent quarters.
  • Multiple overhang — Information-services multiples are de-rating on GenAI uncertainty; several brokers cut targets in 2026 on 'tougher comps.'
  • Capital-allocation scrutiny — ~$3.5bn of 2025 M&A plus continued Homes.com burn spent the cash war-chest; the $500mm ASR was executed at ~$44 — ~50% above today's price.
  • Governance / key-man — Founder-CEO concentration; activists argue ~$11bn of value was destroyed; 2026 say-on-pay passed with only ~71% support.
Why now: The swing factor is the residential segment turning profitable in Q2 2026 (guided) — the first hard proof that Homes.com can monetize. Paired with adj. EBITDA doubling, a resolved activist fight and a maiden buyback, the risk/reward at a seven-year low is asymmetric — provided execution holds.
13M&A history

Ten deals building the platform

YearTargetDeal valueStrategic rationale
2012LoopNet~$0.9bnCRE marketplace entry
2014Apartments.com$0.6bnMultifamily marketplace entry
2019STR$0.4bnGlobal hospitality data
2020Ten-X (CRE)$0.2bnOnline CRE transactions
2021Homes.com$0.2bnResidential portal foundation
2023OnTheMarket~£0.1bnUK residential portal
2024Visual Lease$0.3bnLease-accounting SaaS
2025Matterport~$1.6bn3D digital twins & spatial data
2025Domain (Australia)~A$3.0bnAustralia's #2 residential portal
2026Zonda (pending)$0.8bnNew-home construction data
Approximate announced deal values. Matterport ~$1.6bn announced (GAAP consideration ~$1.9bn at close). Source: CoStar press room ↗; SEC filings.
14Strategic M&A targets

Three acquisition avenues

Three avenues could compound CoStar’s data moat and marketplace reach. The outside-the-box call is Procore — pairing the #1 construction-management platform with Zonda + LoopNet to own the built-world lifecycle.

International residential portals

Repeat the OnTheMarket / Domain playbook — buy #1/#2 portals and reprice, adding ~80% EBITDA-margin non-USD growth.

Rightmove

UK #1 (~85% traffic share); public (LSE: RMV), mkt cap ~£3.1bn.

Strategic prize — consolidates with OnTheMarket into a ~70% EBITDA-margin UK #1; REA's rejected ~£5.8bn bid proves it is in play.

Idealista

#1 portal in Spain/Italy/Portugal; PE-owned (Cinven/EQT), EV ~€3.1bn.

Southern-European leader whose PE owners are natural sellers — a digestible, margin-accretive bolt-on.

Hemnet

#1 Swedish portal; public (STO: HEM), mkt cap ~$0.8bn.

The most digestible portal — Nordic #1 with monopoly economics and a clean tuck-in size.

US residential agent software

Monetize Homes.com's +119% traffic by owning the agent CRM / lead-gen OS and converting eyeballs into recurring SaaS.

Inside Real Estate (BoldTrail)

#1 independent U.S. brokerage software (~500k pros); PE-owned (Genstar).

The cleanest 'own the agent OS' bolt-on — instantly gives Homes.com CRM, websites and transaction tooling.

HomeLight

Agent-matching marketplace + fintech; ~$1.6bn (2022 mark).

Adds lead-gen and embedded mortgage/closing fintech — likely a down-round entry vs. the 2022 mark.

Ylopo

AI digital-marketing / lead-gen serving 75k+ pros; founder-run.

The cheapest way to bolt AI lead-gen and an 'AI ISA' onto Homes.com — a small, high-fit tuck-in.

CRE transactions, construction & fintech

Neutralize LoopNet's #1 threat (Crexi) and own the built-world lifecycle: pre-construction (Zonda) → workflow (Procore) → lease-up (LoopNet).

Crexi

Fastest-growing CRE marketplace ($816bn active listings, 3mm+ MAU); ~$110mm raised.

The direct LoopNet challenger — buying it removes CoStar's #1 CRE-marketplace threat.

VTS

#1 CRE leasing / asset-management platform + demand data; $1.7bn (2022).

Owns the landlord/leasing workflow and demand data CoStar lacks; strategic holder CBRE a natural seller.

Procore

#1 construction-management platform (~$1.4bn rev, +15%); public (NYSE: PCOR), ~$6.9bn.

Outside-the-box, transformative: with Zonda + LoopNet, own the built-world from ground-break to lease-up — and, like CSGP, trades ~50% below its 10-yr multiple.

The deck

Full pitchbook — 23 slides

The visual deck for reference. Click any slide to enlarge. (The numbers and text above are the copyable versions of this content.)

Slide 1: Title
1 Title
Slide 2: Executive summary
2 Executive summary
Slide 3: Contents
3 Contents
Slide 4: Section 1 — Company Overview
4 Section 1 — Company Overview
Slide 5: Company overview
5 Company overview
Slide 6: Business model & segments
6 Business model & segments
Slide 7: Share-price performance
7 Share-price performance
Slide 8: Financial summary (PMO)
8 Financial summary (PMO)
Slide 9: NTM multiple evolution
9 NTM multiple evolution
Slide 10: Trading comparables
10 Trading comparables
Slide 11: Broker perspectives
11 Broker perspectives
Slide 12: Industry trends
12 Industry trends
Slide 13: Total addressable market
13 Total addressable market
Slide 14: Discounted cash flow
14 Discounted cash flow
Slide 15: Valuation football field
15 Valuation football field
Slide 16: Bull vs. bear
16 Bull vs. bear
Slide 17: Section 2 — M&A Targets
17 Section 2 — M&A Targets
Slide 18: M&A history
18 M&A history
Slide 19: Strategic opportunity
19 Strategic opportunity
Slide 20: Targets — international portals
20 Targets — international portals
Slide 21: Targets — US agent software
21 Targets — US agent software
Slide 22: Targets — CRE & construction
22 Targets — CRE & construction
Slide 23: Appendix & sources
23 Appendix & sources
Sources & disclaimer

Sources & methodology

Independent educational project by a 2026 J.P. Morgan summer analyst, using only publicly available information (no material non-public information / MNPI). Not a J.P. Morgan work product and not affiliated with, authorized by, or endorsed by J.P. Morgan. Figures compiled from public sources as of ~July 17–20, 2026; historical multiple and indexed-price series are best-effort reconstructions and the DCF is illustrative. Broker ratings, targets and dates are actual public 2026 actions. Not investment advice or a recommendation. All trademarks and logos are the property of their respective owners.

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