我们的关联公司、子公司和品牌包括Zillow首席经纪人、Zillow房屋贷款、我们的抵押贷款业务和附属贷款人、Zillow租房、Trulia、StreetEasy、HotPads和Out East。此外,Zillow集团为房地产业提供一套全面的营销软件和技术解决方案,包括ShowingTime+、Spruce和Follow Up Boss。
某些重要的风险和不确定因素
我们在一个充满活力的行业中运营,因此可能会受到各种不确定和难以预测的因素的影响。例如,我们认为以下任何领域的潜在变化都可能对我们未来的财务状况、运营结果或现金流产生重大影响:经济和美国住宅房地产业的当前和未来健康和稳定性,包括通货膨胀条件、利率、住房供应和可负担性、房主保险费率、劳动力短缺和供应链问题;我们应对行业变革的能力,包括因某些或将来的集体诉讼、和解或政府调查而发生的变化;我们管理广告和产品库存、定价以及与房地产合作伙伴的关系的能力;我们遵守由NAR、多重上市服务或其他房地产行业团体或管理机构发布的现行和未来规则和要求,并与列表和数据提供者保持或建立关系的能力;我们投入资源进行战略追求、开发新产品和服务的能力,这些产品和服务可能证明无效,或者对客户和房地产合作伙伴不具吸引力,或者不允许我们成功竞争;我们运营和发展Zillow Home Loans,我们的抵押贷款业务和关联放贷机构的能力,包括获得或维持足够的融资,并在二级市场上转售发起的抵押贷款的能力;自然灾害、地缘政治事件和其他灾难事件(包括公共卫生危机)对我们的运营能力、产品或服务需求或一般经济状况的持续时间和影响;法律诉讼结果;我们吸引、留住并保留高技能员工的能力;保护Zillow Group的信息和系统免受安全漏洞或运营中断的影响;依赖第三方服务来支持我们业务的重要功能;保护我们的品牌和知识产权;以及影响我们业务的法律或政府监管的变化,等等。
2023年12月8日,Zillow集团以美元的价格收购了面向房地产专业人士的客户关系管理系统Follow Up Boss399百万现金,扣除收购的现金,以及不超过美元的或有对价100百万现金,可支付 三年 达到某些绩效指标后的一段时间。有关或有对价初步公允价值的更多信息,请参阅附注3。此次收购符合我们的战略,即投资为代理客户提供更加集成的软件体验。根据适用的会计指导,对Follow Up Boss的收购被视为业务合并,收购的资产和承担的负债通常按其初步估计的公允价值入账。商誉是指将收购的资产和收购方的业务以及不符合单独确认条件的无形资产合并所产生的预期协同效应。出于税收目的,与收购相关的商誉可以扣除。
Follow Up Boss收购的购买价格分配是初步的,并且在收购日期起的一年内的计量期间内可能会发生变化。我们在收购日期基于可用信息和对用于判断所购资产、假定负债和或有对价初步公允价值的估计的理解,进行了初步的购买价格分配。我们正在具体识别分配给某些收购的有形资产、假定负债和或有对价的金额。截至2024年9月30日,Follow Up Boss收购的计量期间(不超过一年)仍在进行中;因此,已收购的资产、假定的负债和或有对价可能会在计量期结束之前进行调整。
我们利用主回购协议为Zillow Home Loans提供资金。 以下表格总结了截至2024年9月30日与我们未清利率期货相关的主回购协议的某些详情(以百万为单位,除利率期货外)。
贷款方
到期日
最大借款能力
未偿还借款
可用借款能力
加权平均利率
日本Disco公司(以下简称“公司”)的普通股的代表股份。
2025年5月1日
$
150
$
78
$
72
6.56
%
瑞银
2025年9月5日
150
70
80
6.58
%
总计
$
300
$
148
$
152
根据主要回购协议,出借人同意为符合条件的贷款支付谋战房屋贷款协议(Zillow Home Loans)协商的购买价格,谋战房屋贷款协议同时同意在约定时间内以包括利息在内的约定价格从出借人处回购这些贷款。主要回购协议包含增加看涨期限条款,以确保在主要回购协议下购买的资产市值下降时,出借人享有某些权利。截至2024年9月30日和2023年12月31日,分别有$155百万美元和$99百万抵押贷款待售,作为主要回购协议下的抵押物。
根据管理协议,主回购协议下的借款按基于SOFR的浮动利率加上适用的利差计息。主回购协议包括常规的声明和保证、契约以及关于违约事件的条款。截止到2024年9月30日,Zillow Home Loans遵守了所有财务契约,并且没有发生违约事件。主回购协议可以追索至Zillow Home Loans,且不追索到Zillow Group或其其他子公司。
On September 17, 2019, International Business Machines Corporation (“IBM”) filed a complaint against us in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, alleging, among other things, that the Company has infringed and continues to willfully infringe 七 patents held by IBm and seeks unspecified damages, including a request that the amount of compensatory damages be trebled, injunctive relief and costs and reasonable attorneys’ fees. On November 8, 2019, we filed a motion to transfer venue and/or to dismiss the complaint. On December 2, 2019, IBm filed an amended complaint, and on December 16, 2019 we filed a renewed motion to transfer venue and/or to dismiss the complaint. The Company’s motion to transfer venue to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington (the “Court”) was granted on May 28, 2020. On September 18, 2020, we filed 四 Inter Partes Review (“IPR”) petitions before the U.S. Patent and Trial Appeal Board (“PTAB”) seeking the PTAB’s review of the patentability with respect to 三 of the patents asserted by IBm in the lawsuit. On March 15, 2021, the PTAb instituted IPR proceedings with respect to 二。每期分期付款应于该年的三 我们申请专利的专利。2021年3月22日,PTAB拒绝了最后一项专利的立案。 三 专利。2021年1月22日,法院部分暂停了针对我们提起IPR的所有专利的诉讼,并制定了动议进度表。2021年3月8日,IBM提交了第二次修订的起诉书。2021年3月25日,我们提交了修改后的庭审辩诉动议。2021年7月15日,法院就庭审辩诉动议作出了一项裁决,并对我们作出了有利的裁定。 二。每期分期付款应于该年的四 我们提交动议的专利。2021年8月31日,法庭裁定各方将就之前否决裁定的专利继续进行。 二 之前否决裁定的专利,并取消了关于Zillow提交IPR的专利的暂缓执行,该暂缓执行于2022年5月18日因各方和解而被恢复。 一份。每期分期付款应于该年的三 专利局于2022年3月3日就Zillow的提出裁决。 二 剩余的知识产权审查中,法院认定 Zillow 能够证明某些权利不具专利性,而某些则未能。2022年10月28日,法院发现 一份。每期分期付款应于该年的二 当事双方在此诉讼中正在进行的专利被认定为无效,并驳回了 IBM 与该专利相关的主张。随后,当事双方于2022年10月28日向法院提交了一份联合协议,请求法院暂缓本案,该请求于2022年11月1日获得法院批准。2022年11月25日,Zillow 提出动议加入一项 IPR 申请 Ebates Performance Mktg.,Inc.,即乐天奖励公司诉 Int’l Bus. Machs. Corp. (“Rakuten IPR”),IPR2022-00646,涉及本案最后遗留的专利,法院于2023年4月20日批准。2023年10月11日,PTAB 就 Rakuten IPR 作出裁决,认定该专利针对 Zillow 的主张不具专利性。IBm 于2023年11月21日上诉 PTAB 的决定(“PTAb 上诉”),并于同日,Ebates Performance Marketing Inc. 和我们分别进行了交叉上诉。2024年3月20日,IBm 自愿撤回对 Zillow 提出的所有主张,并附有偏见,除了涉及待决的 PTAb 上诉中所涉及的专利。2024年6月21日,我们对 PTAb 上诉进行了回应。2024年7月30日,IBm 进一步支持 PTAb 上诉。2024年9月3日,我们进一步支持我们的交叉上诉。有可能涉及与此事有关的损失;然而,可能的损失或区间不可估量。我们否认任何不当行为的指控,并打算积极捍卫诉讼中的权利主张。
2021年11月16日,2021年11月19日和2022年1月6日, 三 据称,我们以及部分高管于2020年8月7日至2021年11月2日间购买我们股票的投资者代表就违反联邦证券法提起了集体诉讼。 三 所谓的集体诉讼案件,题为Barua v. Zillow Group, Inc.等,Silverberg v. Zillow Group, et al.和Hillier v. Zillow Group, Inc.等,于2022年2月16日在法院合并(“联邦证券诉讼”)。2022年5月12日,原告提交了修改后的合并投诉书,其中声称我们就Zillow Offers业务发布了实质性虚假和误导性陈述。诉讼要求赔偿所谓类成员因所谓不当行为而遭受的所谓损失等。我们于2022年7月11日提出驳回修改后的合并投诉请求,原告于2022年9月2日提交了反对书,我们于2022年10月11日提交了支持此驳回请求的回复。2022年12月7日,法院作出决定,在某种程度上支持被告的辞退请求,部分否决该请求。2023年1月23日,被告提交了答辩书。2024年3月14日,原告提交了关于类别认证的动议,我们于2024年4月26日提交了我们的反对意见,原告于2024年6月7日提交了回复。2024年8月16日,原告提交了修正投诉书,2024年9月13日,我们提交了我们的回答书。2024年8月23日,法院发布了授予类别认证的裁决。2024年9月6日,我们提出了上诉类别认证命令的申请,2024年9月16日,原告提交了对我们上诉的反对意见,2024年9月23日,我们提交了进一步支持申请的回复。2024年10月24日,第九巡回法庭作出裁定,授予Zillow上诉的许可。2024年11月1日,法院发布命令,暂停联邦证券诉讼,等待上诉结果。存在可能发生与此事相关的损失的合理可能性;但无法估计可能的损失或损失范围。我们否认任何不当行为指控,有意积极维护此合并诉讼中的索赔。
我们的附属公司、子公司和品牌组合包括Zillow Premier Agent、Zillow Home Loans,我们的抵押贷款发放业务和附属贷方,Zillow Rentals、Trulia、StreetEasy、HotPads和Out East。此外,Zillow集团为房地产业提供了一整套全面的营销软件和科技解决方案,包括ShowingTime+、Spruce和Follow Up Boss。
衡量唯一用户对我们很重要,因为我们的营业收入在一定程度上依赖于我们将购房者和卖家、租户和寻求或者已经申请抵押贷款的个人与房地产业、租赁和抵押贷款专业人士、产品和服务连接的能力。消费者流量在我们的移动应用程序和网站上的增长增加了我们可以货币化以产生营业收入的印象、点击、连接、潜在客户和其他事件的数量。例如,我们的营业收入在一定程度上依赖于用户访问我们的移动应用程序和网站,参与房屋的销售、购买、租赁和融资,包括与Zillow Home Loans的合作,我们的住宅营业收入、租赁营业收入和其他营业收入在很大程度上依赖于向我们移动应用程序和网站的用户展示广告。
•住宅营业收入增加了4300万美元,增长12%。住宅营业收入的增长部分是由于每次访问的住宅营业收入增长了8%,从2024年9月30日结束的三个月内的0.153美元增至0.166美元,主要是由于我们在2023年12月收购的Follow Up Boss的收入的包含,总监代理收入的增加,主要是由于我们不断改进将连接转化为交易的能力,ShowingTime+收入增加,因为我们扩大了提供给卖方和挂牌代理的软件服务,并且我们新的施工收入增长。我们通过将我们的住宅产品产生的收入除以该时期的访问次数来计算每次访问的住宅营业收入。住宅营业收入还受到2024年9月30日结束的三个月内的访问次数增加了3%的积极影响,比起2023年9月30日结束的三个月来。我们预计住宅营业收入在截至2024年12月31日的三个月内的绝对金额将减少,主要是由于季节性对住宅房地产市场的影响。
•抵押贷款营业收入增加了1500万元,增长了63%。这一增长主要是由于抵押贷款发放营业收入增加了1600万元。抵押贷款发放营业收入的增加主要是由于总贷款发放成交量增加79%,从2023年9月30日的45700万元增加到2024年9月30日的81900万元,这主要得益于Zillow Home Loans购房贷款发放成交量的持续增长。抵押贷款发放营业收入的增加也归因于销售利润率增加了21%。销售利润率是指抵押贷款销售的净收益与该期间的总贷款发放成交量的比率。抵押贷款的净收益包括与抵押贷款的发放和销售相关的所有元件,包括对进入二级市场的贷款的净收益、贷款发放费用、与IRLCs及待售抵押贷款的公允价值变动相关的未实现的收益和损失、衍生金融工具的已实现和未实现的收益或损失以及与陈述和保证相关的损失准备。
•住宅营业收入增加了10400万美元,增长了9%。住宅营业收入的增加主要是由于2024年9月30日止的九个月内每次访问的住宅营业收入增加了6%,从2023年9月30日止的九个月的0.158美元增至0.166美元,这主要是由于我们在2023年12月收购的Follow Up Boss的收入纳入,Premier Agent收入的增长主要是由于我们将连接转化为交易的能力持续改善,随着软件服务的扩展,ShowingTime+收入增加,以及我们新施工营业收入的加速增长。2024年9月30日止的九个月内访问次数的增加也导致住宅营业收入的上升,增幅为4%,与2023年9月30日止的九个月相比。
•抵押贷款营业收入增加了3000万美元,增长了41%。该增长主要是由于抵押贷款申请营业收入增加了4500万美元,部分被定制报价和连接广告服务营业收入减少1200万美元所抵消。抵押贷款申请营业收入的增加主要是由于截至2024年9月30日的九个月内,贷款申请总成交量增加了106%,从截至2023年9月30日的11亿美元增加到22亿美元,这主要得益于Zillow Home Loans的购房贷款申请成交量持续增长。抵押贷款申请营业收入的增加也得益于销售利润率增长20%。抵押贷款申请营业收入的增加部分被定制报价和连接广告服务营业收入减少1200万美元所抵消,这主要是由于销售给抵押贷款专业人士的营销产品生成的线索减少20%。线索减少主要是由于我们对抵押贷款申请业务的有机增长的关注。
Cost of revenue consists of expenses related to operating our mobile applications and websites, including associated headcount-related expenses, such as salaries, benefits, bonuses and share-based compensation expense, as well as revenue-sharing costs related to our commercial business relationships, depreciation expense, and costs associated with hosting our mobile applications and websites. Cost of revenue also includes amortization costs related to capitalized website and development activities, amortization of software, amortization of certain intangible assets and other costs to obtain data used to populate our mobile applications and websites, and amortization of certain intangible assets recorded in connection with acquisitions, including developed technology. Cost of revenue also includes credit card fees and ad serving costs paid to third parties, direct costs to provide our rental applications product, and direct costs to originate mortgage loans, including underwriting and processing costs.
Three months ended September 30, 2024 compared to three months ended September 30, 2023
Cost of revenue increased $30 million, or 27%, primarily driven by increases of $14 million in depreciation and amortization expense primarily due to an increase in amortization of website development costs, $4 million in mortgage loan processing costs due to increased purchase loan origination volume, $3 million in lead acquisition costs related to partnerships, and $2 million in connectivity costs.
Nine months ended September 30, 2024 compared to nine months ended September 30, 2023
Cost of revenue increased $87 million, or 28%, primarily driven by increases of $47 million in depreciation and amortization expense primarily due to an increase in amortization of website development costs, $12 million in mortgage loan processing costs due to increased purchase loan origination volume, $7 million in lead acquisition costs related to partnerships, $5 million in connectivity costs, and $4 million in headcount-related expenses, including share-based compensation expense.
Gross Profit
Gross profit is calculated as revenue less cost of revenue. Gross margin is gross profit expressed as a percentage of revenue. Our gross profit has and will continue to be affected by a number of factors, including the mix of revenue from our various product offerings.
Three months ended September 30, 2024 compared to three months ended September 30, 2023
Gross profit increased by $55 million, or 14%, primarily due to an increase in revenue, discussed above. Total gross margin decreased from 78% to 76%.
Nine months ended September 30, 2024 compared to nine months ended September 30, 2023
Gross profit increased by $124 million, or 11%, primarily due to an increase in revenue, discussed above. Total gross margin decreased from 79% to 77%.
Sales and Marketing
Sales and marketing expenses consist of advertising costs and other sales expenses related to promotional and marketing activities, headcount-related expenses, including salaries, commissions, benefits, bonuses and share-based compensation expense for sales, sales support, customer support, including the customer connections team and mortgage loan officers and specialists, marketing and public relations employees, depreciation expense and amortization of certain intangible assets recorded in connection with acquisitions, including trade names and trademarks and customer relationships.
Three months ended September 30, 2024 compared to three months ended September 30, 2023
Sales and marketing expenses increased $53 million, or 32%, due to increases of $25 million in marketing and advertising costs as we continue to invest in the growth of our rentals marketplace and $23 million in headcount-related expenses, including share-based compensation expense. We expect sales and marketing expenses to decrease in absolute dollars during the three months ending December 31, 2024 as marketing and advertising costs decrease in line with typical seasonal media spend.
Nine months ended September 30, 2024 compared to nine months ended September 30, 2023
Sales and marketing expenses increased $95 million, or 19%, due to increases of $52 million in headcount-related expenses, including share-based compensation expense, $33 million in marketing and advertising costs as we continue to invest in the growth of our rentals marketplace, and $4 million in travel expenses.
Technology and Development
Technology and development expenses consist of headcount-related expenses, including salaries, benefits, bonuses and share-based compensation expense for individuals engaged in the design, development and testing of our products, mobile applications and websites and the tools and applications that support our products. Technology and development expenses also include equipment and maintenance costs and depreciation expense.
Three months ended September 30, 2024 compared to three months ended September 30, 2023
Technology and development expenses increased $3 million, or 2%, due primarily to an increase of $3 million in headcount-related expenses, including share-based compensation expense.
Nine months ended September 30, 2024 compared to nine months ended September 30, 2023
Technology and development expenses increased $17 million, or 4%, due to increases of $19 million in headcount-related expenses, including share-based compensation expense, as we continue to invest in human capital to grow our businesses, $7 million in software and hardware costs, and $3 million in travel expenses. These increases were partially offset by a $10 million decrease in third-party professional service fees driven by active cost management.
General and Administrative
General and administrative expenses consist of headcount-related expenses, including salaries, benefits, bonuses and share-based compensation expense for executive, finance, accounting, legal, human resources, recruiting, corporate information technology costs and other administrative support. General and administrative expenses also include legal settlement costs and estimated legal liabilities, legal, accounting and other third-party professional service fees, rent expense, depreciation expense and bad debt expense.
Three months ended September 30, 2024 compared to three months ended September 30, 2023
General and administrative expenses decreased $8 million, or 6%, primarily due to a $6 million decrease in third party professional service fees driven by active cost management and a $5 million decrease in rent expense primarily driven by cost savings associated with changes in the use of certain office space in our lease portfolio. These decreases were partially offset by an increase of $4 million due to the change in fair value of contingent consideration associated with our acquisition of Follow Up Boss.
Nine months ended September 30, 2024 compared to nine months ended September 30, 2023
General and administrative expenses decreased $21 million, or 5%, primarily due to a decrease of $18 million in headcount-related expenses, including share-based compensation expense. The decrease in headcount-related expenses was primarily driven by $18 million in share-based compensation expense associated with the departures of certain executive personnel incurred during the nine months ended September 30, 2023. The decrease in general and administrative expenses was also due to a $12 million decrease in rent expense primarily driven by cost savings associated with changes in the use of certain office space in our lease portfolio. These decreases were partially offset by increases of $8 million due to the change in fair value of contingent consideration associated with our acquisition of Follow Up Boss and $3 million in travel expenses.
Impairment and Restructuring Costs
Impairment and restructuring costs were not material for the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023. Impairment and restructuring costs were $6 million and $9 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively, and were primarily associated with changes in the use of certain office space in our lease portfolio. Impairment and restructuring costs incurred during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 also included $3 million that pertained to employee termination costs.
Other Income, net
Other income, net consists primarily of interest income earned on our cash, cash equivalents and investments and fair value adjustments on an outstanding warrant.
Other income, net decreased $7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 as compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2023, and was primarily driven by fair value adjustments on an outstanding warrant, partially offset by increases in returns on investments due to the higher interest rate environment as compared to the prior year period.
Income Taxes
We are subject to income taxes in the United States (federal and state) and certain foreign jurisdictions. As of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, we have provided a valuation allowance against our net deferred tax assets that we believe, based on the weight of available evidence, are not more likely than not to be realized. There is a reasonable possibility that within the next several years, sufficient positive evidence will become available to demonstrate that a significant
portion of the valuation allowance against our U.S. net deferred tax assets will no longer be required. We have accumulated federal tax losses of approximately $1.4 billion as of December 31, 2023, which are available to reduce future taxable income. We have accumulated state tax losses of approximately $56 million (tax effected) as of December 31, 2023.
Income tax expense was not material for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2024 and 2023.
In 2021, the OECD, a global policy forum, released Pillar Two, designed to ensure that multinational groups with consolidated financial statement revenue in excess of €750 million annually pay a minimum 15% tax in each jurisdiction in which they operate. The OECD continues to release guidance and countries are implementing legislation to adopt these rules, which are expected to be effective for accounting periods beginning on or after December 31, 2023. The United States has not yet enacted legislation implementing Pillar Two. We have evaluated the impact of these rules and currently believe they will not have a material impact on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows due to certain transitional safe harbors. We will continue to monitor and refine our assessment as further guidance is made available.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our primary sources of liquidity and capital resources are cash flows from operations, debt financing and equity offerings. Our cash requirements consist principally of working capital, general corporate needs and mortgage loan originations. We continue to invest in the development and expansion of our operations using available cash flows from operations. Ongoing investments include, but are not limited to, improvements in our technology platforms, investments in new products and services, and continued investments in sales and marketing. We also use cash flows from operations to service our debt obligations and to repurchase Class A common stock, Class C capital stock, outstanding Notes or a combination thereof through our Repurchase Authorizations or otherwise.
Sources of Liquidity
As of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, we had cash and cash equivalents, investments and restricted cash of $2.2 billion and $2.8 billion, respectively. Cash and cash equivalents balances consist of operating cash on deposit with financial institutions and money market funds. Investments consist of fixed income securities, which include U.S. government treasury securities, investment grade corporate securities, U.S. government agency securities, and commercial paper. Restricted cash primarily consists of amounts used to fund customer home purchases in our mortgage origination business. Amounts on deposit with third-party financial institutions exceed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation insurance limits, as applicable. As of September 30, 2024, Zillow Group and its subsidiaries were in compliance with all debt covenants specified in the facilities described below.
We believe that cash from operations and cash and cash equivalents and investment balances will be sufficient to meet our ongoing operating activities, working capital, capital expenditures, strategic acquisitions and investments and other capital requirements for at least the next 12 months. We believe we will meet longer-term expected future cash requirements and obligations through a combination of cash flows from operations, debt financing and equity offerings, as applicable.
Summarized Cash Flow Information
The following table presents selected cash flow data for the periods presented (in millions, unaudited):
Nine Months Ended September 30,
2024
2023
Cash Flow Data:
Net cash provided by operating activities
$
306
$
268
Net cash provided by investing activities
121
339
Net cash used in financing activities
(847)
(226)
Cash Flows Provided By Operating Activities
Our operating cash flows result primarily from cash received from real estate professionals, rental professionals, mortgage professionals, builders and brand advertisers, as well as cash received from sales of mortgages originated by Zillow Home Loans. Our primary uses of cash from operating activities include marketing and advertising activities, mortgages funded through Zillow Home Loans and employee compensation and benefits. Additionally, uses of cash from operating activities include costs associated with operating our mobile applications and websites and other general corporate expenditures.
For the nine months ended September 30, 2024, net cash provided by operating activities was $306 million. This was driven by a net loss of $60 million, adjusted by share-based compensation of $329 million, depreciation and amortization of $178 million, accretion of bond discount of $23 million, amortization of contract cost assets of $14 million, amortization of right of use assets of $8 million, impairment costs of $6 million, amortization of debt issuance costs of $4 million, and $14 million in other adjustments to reconcile net loss to cash provided by operating activities. Changes in operating assets and liabilities decreased cash provided by operating activities by $164 million. The changes in operating assets and liabilities are primarily related to a $73 million increase in prepaid expenses and other current assets primarily due to an increase in revenue from products and services billed in arrears, a $64 million increase in mortgage loans held for sale due to an increase in purchase loan origination volume, a $31 million decrease in lease liabilities due to contractual lease payments, a $21 million increase in accounts receivable primarily due to an increase in revenue from products and services billed in arrears, and a $15 million increase in contract cost assets primarily due to capitalized sales commissions. These changes were partially offset by a $25 million increase in accounts payable driven by the timing of payments, an $8 million increase in accrued expenses and other current liabilities primarily driven by the timing of billings, and a $5 million increase in deferred revenue consistent with an increase in revenue.
For the nine months ended September 30, 2023, net cash provided by operating activities was $268 million. This was driven by a net loss of $85 million, adjusted by share-based compensation of $342 million, depreciation and amortization of $134 million, accretion of bond discount of $29 million, amortization of right of use assets of $18 million, amortization of contract cost assets of $16 million, impairment costs of $6 million, and amortization of debt issuance costs of $4 million. Changes in operating assets and liabilities decreased cash provided by operating activities by $135 million. The changes in operating assets and liabilities are primarily related to a $55 million increase in mortgage loans held for sale due to an increase in purchase loan origination volume, a $26 million increase in accounts receivable primarily due to an increase in revenue from products and services billed in arrears, a $24 million decrease in lease liabilities due to contractual lease payments, a $22 million increase in prepaid expenses and other current assets primarily due to an increase in revenue from products and services billed in arrears, a $16 million increase in contract cost assets primarily due to capitalized sales commissions, a $4 million decrease in other long term liabilities, and a $3 million decrease in accrued expenses and other current liabilities. These changes were partially offset by a $7 million increase in accounts payable and a $4 million increase in accrued compensation and benefits both driven by the timing of payments, and a $4 million increase in deferred revenue.
Cash Flows Provided By Investing Activities
Our primary investing activities include the purchase and sale or maturity of investments, the purchase of property and equipment and intangible assets, and cash paid in connection with acquisitions.
For the nine months ended September 30, 2024, net cash provided by investing activities was $121 million. This was the result of $251 million of net proceeds from maturities and sales of investments and $130 million of purchases of property and equipment and intangible assets.
For the nine months ended September 30, 2023, net cash provided by investing activities was $339 million. This was the result of $498 million of net proceeds from the maturity of investments, $125 million of purchases of property and equipment and intangible assets, and $34 million of cash paid for acquisitions, net of cash acquired.
Cash Flows Used In Financing Activities
Our primary financing activities include repurchases of Class A common stock and Class C capital stock, the exercise of employee option awards, repayments of borrowings on the warehouse line of credit and master repurchase agreements related to Zillow Home Loans and settlement of long-term debt including a portion of the Notes.
For the nine months ended September 30, 2024, net cash used in financing activities was $847 million, which primarily related to $697 million of cash paid for the settlement of the 2024 Notes and partial repurchase of the 2025 Notes, and $301 million of cash paid for share repurchases. The cash outflows were partially offset by $96 million of proceeds from the exercise of option awards and $55 million of net borrowings on our master repurchase agreements related to Zillow Home Loans.
For the nine months ended September 30, 2023, net cash used in financing activities was $226 million, which primarily related to $336 million of cash paid for share repurchases, partially offset by $56 million of proceeds from the exercise of option awards and $54 million of net borrowings on our warehouse line of credit and master repurchase agreements related to Zillow Home Loans.
As of September 30, 2024, we have a total of $918 million aggregate principal amount of Notes outstanding. The Notes are senior unsecured obligations, and interest on the Notes is paid semi-annually. The following table summarizes our Notes as of the periods presented (in millions, except interest rates):
September 30, 2024
December 31, 2023
Maturity Date
Aggregate Principal Amount
Stated Interest Rate
Carrying Value
Carrying Value
September 1, 2026
$
499
1.375
%
$
497
$
496
May 15, 2025
419
2.75
%
418
504
September 1, 2024
—
0.75
%
—
607
Total
$
918
$
915
$
1,607
Settlement of 2024 Notes.The 2024 Notes matured on September 1, 2024. During the period from March 1, 2024 through the close of business on August 29, 2024, holders of the 2024 Notes elected to convert all outstanding 2024 Notes in accordance with the terms of the indenture. We settled these conversions with aggregate cash payments totaling $610 million, which included $608 million in principal repayments, $2 million for accrued interest and a nominal cash payment in lieu of fractional shares, and the issuance of 1.9 million shares of Class C capital stock. In September 2024, we received 2.1 million shares of Class C capital stock from the settlement of the capped call transactions we entered into in connection with the issuance of the 2024 Notes.
2025 Notes.We may from time to time seek to redeem, retire or purchase outstanding debt through cash purchases and/or exchanges for cash, shares of stock or a combination of cash and stock, pursuant to the redemption terms of such debt securities, in open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions or otherwise. Such redemptions, repurchases or exchanges, if any, will depend on prevailing market conditions, our liquidity requirements, contractual restrictions and other factors. The amounts involved in any such transactions, individually or in the aggregate, may be material.
There were no repurchases of Notes during the three months ended September 30, 2024. During the nine months ended September 30, 2024, we repurchased $88 million aggregate principal amount of the 2025 Notes through open market transactions for $89 million in cash, including accrued interest.
On or after November 15, 2024, until the close of business on the second scheduled trading day immediately preceding the maturity date for the 2025 Notes, holders may convert the 2025 Notes at their option at the applicable Conversion Rate then in effect. Any conversions of the 2025 Notes will be settled on the maturity date. We expect to settle the principal amount of the 2025 Notes in cash and any conversion premium in shares of Class C capital stock. In addition, we may redeem the 2025 Notes if the last reported sale price of our Class C capital stock equals or exceeds $87.36 per share (130% of the conversion price) for a specified period of trading days. If we elect to redeem the 2025 Notes, we would expect to settle any conversions in cash up to the principal amount and shares of Class C capital stock for any conversion obligation in excess of the principal amount.
Redemption of 2026 Notes. On October 8, 2024, we submitted notice to the trustee to exercise our right to redeem the remaining $499 million in aggregate principal amount of the 2026 Notes on December 18, 2024 (the “Redemption Date”). The 2026 Notes may be converted by the holders at any time prior to 5:00 p.m. (New York City time) on December 17, 2024. The conversion rate for the 2026 Notes is 22.9830 shares of Class C capital stock per $1,000 principal amount of 2026 Notes converted (subject to adjustment under certain circumstances as set forth in the indenture governing the 2026 Notes). We expect to settle the principal amount of the 2026 Notes in cash and any conversion premium in shares of Class C capital stock. For any holder of the 2026 Notes that does not elect to convert their 2026 Notes, we will be required to redeem the 2026 Notes in cash at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of 2026 Notes to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding, the Redemption Date.
Refer to Note 7 of our Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for additional information regarding our Notes, including conversion rates, conversion and redemption dates and the related capped call transactions.
The Board has authorized the repurchase of up to $2.5 billion of our Class A common stock, Class C capital stock, outstanding Notes or a combination thereof. During the nine months ended September 30, 2024, we repurchased 1.1 million shares of Class A common stock and 6 million shares of Class C capital stock at an average price of $42.26 and $42.45 per share, respectively, for an aggregate purchase price of $46 million and $255 million, respectively. As of September 30, 2024, $381 million remained available for future repurchases pursuant to the Repurchase Authorizations, which repurchases decrease our liquidity and capital resources when effected. For additional information on these authorizations, see Notes 11 and 13 of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.
Credit Facilities
Zillow Home Loans operations impact our liquidity and capital resources as a cash intensive business that funds mortgage loans originated for resale in the secondary market. We primarily use debt financing to fund mortgage loan originations. The following table summarizes our master repurchase agreements as of the periods presented (in millions, except interest rates):
Lender
Maturity Date
Maximum Borrowing Capacity
Outstanding Borrowings at
September 30, 2024
Outstanding Borrowings at
December 31, 2023
Weighted Average Interest Rate at September 30, 2024
JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.(1)
May 1, 2025
$
150
$
78
$
40
6.56
%
UBS AG(2)
September 5, 2025
150
70
45
6.58
%
Atlas Securitized Products, L.P.(3)
March 11, 2024
—
—
8
—
%
Total
$
300
$
148
$
93
(1) Agreement was amended and renewed on May 2, 2024, increasing the total maximum borrowing capacity from $100 million to $150 million.
(2) Agreement was amended and renewed on September 6, 2024, increasing the total maximum borrowing capacity from $100 million to $150 million.
(3) Agreement expired on March 11, 2024 and was not renewed.
Refer to Note 7 of our Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for additional information on Zillow Group’s master repurchase agreements.
Contractual Obligations and Other Commitments
Notes - Includes the aggregate principal amounts of the Notes due on their contractual maturity dates, as well as the associated coupon interest. As of September 30, 2024, we have an outstanding aggregate principal amount of $918 million, $419 million of which is payable within 12 months. Future interest payments associated with the Notes total $25 million, with $18 million payable within 12 months. Subsequent to September 30, 2024, we provided notice to the trustee that we will redeem the remaining $499 million in aggregate principal amount of the 2026 Notes on December 18, 2024. Refer to Note 7 of our Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for maturity dates, stated interest rates and additional information on our Notes.
Credit Facilities - Includes principal amounts due for amounts borrowed under the master repurchase agreements to finance mortgages originated through Zillow Home Loans. Principal amounts under the master repurchase agreements are due when the related mortgage loan is sold to an investor or directly to an agency. As of September 30, 2024, we have outstanding principal amounts of $148 million. Amounts exclude an immaterial amount of estimated interest payments.
Operating Lease Obligations - Our lease portfolio primarily comprises operating leases for our office space. During the nine months ended September 30, 2024, there were no material changes to our operating lease obligations disclosed in Note 10 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023. Additionally, as of September 30, 2024, we had outstanding letters of credit of approximately $11 million, which secure our lease obligations in connection with certain of the operating leases of our office spaces.
Contingent Consideration - In connection with the acquisition of Follow Up Boss, we are obligated to pay contingent consideration upon the achievement of certain performance metrics over a three-year period. For additional information regarding this contingent consideration, seeNote 3 and Note 5 of our Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
Purchase Obligations - We have non-cancelable purchase obligations for content related to our mobile applications and websites and certain cloud computing costs. During the nine months ended September 30, 2024, there were no material changes to the purchase commitments disclosed in Note 16 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Our condensed consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of these condensed consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates, judgments and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses and related disclosures. We evaluate our estimates, judgments and assumptions on an ongoing basis. Our estimates are based on historical experience and various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Our actual results could differ from these estimates, and the health of the housing market and the broader economy have introduced significant additional uncertainty with respect to estimates, judgments and assumptions, which may materially impact our estimates. For information on our critical accounting policies and estimates, see Part II Item 7 (Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations) of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023. There have been no material changes to our critical accounting policies and estimates as previously disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
We are exposed to market risks in the ordinary course of our business. These risks primarily consist of fluctuations in interest rates.
Interest Rate Risk
Under our current investment policy, we invest our excess cash in money market funds, U.S. government treasury securities, U.S. government agency securities, investment grade corporate securities and commercial paper. Our current investment policy seeks first to preserve capital, second to provide sufficient liquidity for our operating and capital needs and third to maximize yield.
Our short-term investments are exposed to market risk due to the fluctuation of prevailing interest rates that may reduce the yield on our investments or their fair value. For our investment portfolio, we do not believe an immediate 10% increase in interest rates would have a material effect on the fair market value of our portfolio.
As of September 30, 2024, we had approximately $918 million aggregate principal amount of Notes. All outstanding Notes bear fixed rates of interest and, therefore, do not expose us to financial statement risk associated with changes in interest rates. The fair values of the Notes change primarily when the market price of our stock fluctuates or interest rates change.
We are also subject to market risk which may impact our mortgage loan origination volume and associated revenue and the net interest margin derived from borrowings under our master repurchase agreements that provide capital for Zillow Home Loans. Market risk occurs in periods where changes in short-term interest rates result in mortgage loans being originated with terms that provide a smaller interest rate spread above the financing terms of our master repurchase agreements, which can negatively impact our results of operations. This risk is primarily mitigated through the expedited sale of our loans. As of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, we had $148 million and $93 million, respectively, of outstanding borrowings on our master repurchase agreements which bear interest at a floating rate based on SOFR plus an applicable margin, as defined by the governing agreements. We manage the interest rate risk associated with our mortgage loan origination services through the use of forward sales of MBSs. Assuming no change in the outstanding borrowings on the master repurchase agreements, we estimate that a one percentage point increase in SOFR would not have a material effect on our annual interest expense associated with the master repurchase agreements as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023.
For additional details related to our credit facilities and Notes, see Note 7 to our Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
Inflation Risk
The macroeconomic environment in the United States has experienced, and continues to experience, inflationary pressures. While it is difficult to accurately measure the impact of these inflationary pressures on our business, we believe these effects have been pervasive throughout our business during the past several quarters. In response to ongoing inflationary pressures in the United States, the Federal Reserve implemented a number of increases to the federal funds rate during 2022 and 2023. Despite inflation stabilizing beginning in the second half of 2023 and the federal funds rate decreasing in the second half of 2024, prior federal funds rate increases have impacted other market rates derived from this benchmark rate, including mortgage interest rates. The persistently high mortgage interest rates across the industry relative to recent years has impacted the number of transactions consumers complete using our products and services and the demand for our advertising services and mortgage origination offerings and, in turn, had an adverse impact on our revenue.
If inflationary pressures persist, our costs, in particular labor, marketing and hosting costs, may increase and we may not be able to fully offset such higher costs through price increases. In addition, uncertain or changing economic and market conditions, including inflation or deflation, may continue to affect demand for our products and services and the housing markets in which we operate. Our inability or failure to quickly respond to inflation could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition. We cannot predict the duration or magnitude of these inflationary pressures, or how they may change over time, but we expect to see continued impacts on the residential real estate industry, our customers and our company. Despite these near-term effects, we do not expect these inflationary pressures to have a material impact on our ability to execute our long-term business strategy.
We do not believe that foreign currency exchange risk has had a material effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition. As we do not maintain a significant balance of foreign currency, we do not believe an immediate 10% increase or decrease in foreign currency exchange rates relative to the U.S. dollar would have a material effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition.
The Company maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as defined under Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended). Management, under the supervision and with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, evaluated the effectiveness of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(b) as of September 30, 2024. Based on that evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer concluded that these disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of September 30, 2024.
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting identified in connection with the evaluation required by Rule 13a-15(d) and 15d-15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that occurred during the three months ended September 30, 2024 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
For information regarding legal proceedings in which we are involved, see Note 12 under the subsection titled “Legal Proceedings” in our Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements in Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
There have not been any material changes to the risk factors affecting our business, financial condition or future results from those set forth in Part I, Item 1A (Risk Factors) in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023. However, you should carefully consider the factors discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, which could materially affect our business, financial condition or future results. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial also may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and/or operating results.
Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities
Except as previously reported in the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on September 4, 2024, there were no unregistered sales of equity securities during the three months ended September 30, 2024.
On August 30, 2024, Dan Spaulding, Chief People Officer of the Company, entered into a 10b5-1 sales plan intended to satisfy the affirmative defense of Rule 10b5-1(c) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. This 10b5-1 sales plan provides for (1) the sale of up to 244,997 shares of Class C capital stock related to the exercise of option awards granted to Mr. Spaulding and (2) the sale of an indeterminate number of shares of Class C capital stock related to the vesting of restricted stock units granted to Mr. Spaulding. The number of shares of Class C capital stock that will be sold under this 10b5-1 sales plan related to vesting of restricted stock unit awards is not yet determinable because (i) certain future awards granted during the life of the plan that follow the same vesting schedule as existing awards under the plan may be covered by the terms of the plan and (ii) for each vested restricted stock unit award that is covered by the terms of the plan, an unknown number of shares will be sold to satisfy tax withholding prior to any sale occurring under the terms of the plan. This 10b5-1 sales plan will become effective on November 29, 2024 and will terminate on May 21, 2026, subject to earlier termination as provided in the plan.
On September 4, 2024, Jeremy Hofmann, Chief Financial Officer of the Company, entered into a 10b5-1 sales plan intended to satisfy the affirmative defense of Rule 10b5-1(c) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. This 10b5-1 sales plan provides for (1) the sale of up to 100,000 shares of Class C capital stock related to the exercise of option awards granted to Mr. Hofmann and (2) the sale of an indeterminate number of shares of Class C capital stock related to the vesting of restricted stock units granted to Mr. Hofmann. The number of shares of Class C capital stock that will be sold under this 10b5-1 sales plan related to vesting of restricted stock unit awards is not yet determinable because (i) certain future awards granted during the life of the plan that follow the same vesting schedule as existing awards under the plan may be covered by the terms of the plan and (ii) for each vested restricted stock unit award that is covered by the terms of the plan, an unknown number of shares will be sold to satisfy tax withholding prior to any sale occurring under the terms of the plan. This 10b5-1 sales plan will become effective on December 4, 2024 and will terminate on December 31, 2025, subject to earlier termination as provided in the plan.
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The certifications attached as Exhibits 32.1 and 32.2 that accompany this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q are not deemed filed with the SEC and are not to be incorporated by reference into any filing of the Company under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (whether made before or after the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q), irrespective of any general incorporation language contained in such filing.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.