CoStar Group
CoStar Group's revenue rose 18.7% to $3.2 billion in fiscal 2025. Its operating margin was −2.2%, down from 0.2% a year earlier. Free cash flow was $123 million. It paid out $500 million in dividends and buybacks, 406% of free cash flow. The diluted share count rose 3.2%.
Operating margin is operating income as a share of revenue. Free cash flow is cash from operations minus capital spending. Return on capital is after-tax operating income as a share of the money invested in the business: debt plus equity, minus cash. Market cap is the last closing share price times the latest diluted share count, so it is approximate. P/E is the last close divided by diluted earnings per share over the last four quarters, or the latest fiscal year where the quarters aren't available; there is none when the company made a loss.
Charts show fiscal years, from the 10-K filings.
Revenue and margins
Net income and earnings per share
From fiscal 2016 to 2025, earnings per share fell 24.8% a year and net income 24.2% a year, as new shares raised the share count by 30% and diluted each share's earnings.
Returns on capital
Cash flow
Payouts and share count
Valuation
Two ways to value CoStar Group yourself, both starting from its filings: a discounted cash flow model and the price-to-earnings method.
Discounted cash flow (DCF)
A discounted cash flow (DCF) model values a business as the cash it may generate in future, discounted back to today. The starting figures come from CoStar Group's 10-K (or, for net cash and shares, its latest 10-Q) and the assumptions are yours: start from one of three example scenarios, then change any figure to see what it implies for a share, and how that compares with the last share price.
Value per share on three example scenarios, from CoStar Group's fiscal 2025 free cash flow of $123M, net cash of $629M at December 31, 2025 and 421 million diluted shares, from its filings. The scenarios are fitted to CoStar Group: the base scenario's growth in years 1 to 5 is its revenue growth over the last 3 years, 14.2% a year; the cautious and optimistic ones are lower and higher, and growth in years 6 to 10 is halfway to the long-run rate. The base scenario's discount rate is 9% for a business of moderate risk (Real Estate Services); the cautious and optimistic ones use a point more and a point less. Select one to load it into the calculator. These are the model's arithmetic on those assumptions, not a forecast or a price target.
- Last close, October 26, 2026
- $33.70
- Value on these assumptions, against the last close
- —
- Cash flows in years 1 to 10, valued today
- —
- Everything after year 10, valued today
- —
- Plus net cash
- —
- Share of value from after year 10
How the value changes with two assumptions
Price-to-earnings (P/E) method
Another common way to value a company is to multiply its earnings per share by a price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple: the number of years of today's earnings an investor pays for a share. A higher multiple usually means investors expect earnings to grow. Choose a multiple, for example from similar companies, to see the value it gives.
Value per share on three example scenarios, from CoStar Group's earnings per share of $0.18 (over the last four quarters). Each grows earnings for a year at the cash flow scenarios' rates and applies a multiple to next year's earnings: 84.1×, the middle of CoStar Group's own P/E today, its peers' median and its sector's median (its peers' median) for the base scenario, 20% less and more for the cautious and optimistic ones. The price is brought back a year at 10%, 9% and 8%. Select one to load it into the calculator. These are the model's arithmetic on those assumptions, not a forecast or a price target.
- Last close, October 26, 2026
- $33.70
- Value at this multiple, against the last close
- —
- CoStar Group's P/E at the last close
- 187.2×
| Company | Last close | Earnings per share | P/E today |
|---|---|---|---|
| CoStar GroupCSGP | $33.70 | $0.18 | 187.2× |
| CompassCOMP | $9.69 | $0.06 | 161.5× |
| ZillowZG | $33.73 | $0.22 | 153.3× |
| Howard HughesHHH | $73.30 | $4.90 | 15.0× |
| Newmark GroupNMRK | $11.34 | $0.80 | 14.2× |
Balance sheet
| Fiscal year end | FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash and short-term investments | 3,800 | 5,000 | 5,200 | 4,681 | 1,633 |
| Debt incl. finance leases | 988 | 989 | 1,004 | 1,007 | 1,004 |
| Net debt (negative means net cash) | −2,812 | −4,011 | −4,196 | −3,674 | −629 |
| Net debt to EBITDA | −4.9x | −6.8x | −10.8x | −24.2x | −3.3x |
| Debt to equity | 0.2x | 0.1x | 0.1x | 0.1x | 0.1x |
| Interest coverage | 13.4x | 14.0x | 9.1x | 0.2x | −3.8x |
| Current ratio | 11.8x | 13.9x | 12.0x | 9.0x | 2.8x |
| Quick ratio | 11.8x | 13.9x | 12.0x | 9.0x | 2.8x |
Insider trades
Over the 12 months between October 27, 2025 and October 26, 2026, 4 insiders bought $8.5 million of CoStar Group shares on the open market, and 2 insiders sold $534,282.
| Date | Insider | Trade | Shares | Price | Value | Filing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 7, 2026 | Cynthia Cammett CannChief Accounting Officer | Sold | 4,788 | $30.78 | $147,375 | Form 4 |
| Aug 5, 2026 | John W HillDirector | Sold | 3,500 | $30.21 | $105,735 | Form 4 |
| Aug 4, 2026 | Andrew C FloranceFounder and CEO, Director | Bought | 83,300 | $29.89 | $2.5 million | Form 4 |
| May 1, 2026 | Andrew C FlorancePresident and CEO, Director | Bought | 71,430 | $35.20 | $2.5 million | Form 4 |
| Mar 6, 2026 | Louise S SamsDirector | Bought | 1,000 | $48.36 | $48,360 | Form 4 |
| Mar 2, 2026 | Frederick G. SaintPresident, Marketplaces | Bought | 20,000 | $45.33 | $906,600 | Form 4 |
| Mar 2, 2026 | Rachel C GlaserDirector | Bought | 1,000 | $44.94 | $44,940 | Form 4 |
| Feb 27, 2026 | Andrew C FlorancePresident and CEO, Director | Bought | 55,720 | $44.52 | $2.5 million | Form 4 |
| Nov 13, 2025 | John W HillDirector | Sold | 2,250 | $68.68 | $154,530 | Form 4 |
| Nov 13, 2025 | Cynthia Cammett CannChief Accounting Officer | Sold | 1,841 | $68.79 | $126,642 | Form 4 |
Piotroski F-score
The F-score counts how many of nine simple tests of profitability, funding and efficiency a company passed in a year (Piotroski, 2000). The more tests passed, the stronger the year: 8 or 9 is strong, 0 to 2 weak. Companies that report no gross profit are scored on the other eight.
| Test | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Net income is positive | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| Cash from operations is positive | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| Return on assets rose | Fail | Fail | Fail |
| Cash from operations exceeds net income | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| Debt fell relative to assets | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| Current ratio rose | Fail | Fail | Fail |
| Share count didn't rise | Fail | Fail | Fail |
| Gross margin rose | Fail | Fail | Fail |
| Revenue rose relative to assets | Fail | Pass | Pass |
| F-score | 4 of 9 | 5 of 9 | 5 of 9 |
| Accruals ratio | −1.3% | −2.8% | −4.3% |
Compare
Put CoStar Group side by side with any other company we cover: revenue, growth, margins, cash flow and returns, with ten years of charts.
Similar companies
| Company | Year | Revenue growth | Operating margin | Free cash flow margin | Return on capital | Net debt to EBITDA | F-score | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CoStar Group | FY25 | 18.7% | −2.2% | 3.8% | −0.6% | −3.3x | 5 | |
| Newmark Group | FY25 | 20.3% | 7.1% | 4.3% | 8.6% | 1.1x | 7 | Compare |
| Zillow | FY25 | 15.5% | −1.3% | 9.1% | −0.9% | −5.6x | 7 | Compare |
| Compass | FY25 | 23.7% | −0.9% | 2.9% | — | — | — | Compare |
| Howard Hughes | FY25 | −15.8% | 22.5% | 28.3% | 3.4% | 7.1x | — | Compare |
10 years of figures
| Fiscal year | FY16 | FY17 | FY18 | FY19 | FY20 | FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Income statement | ||||||||||
| Revenue | 838 | 965 | 1,192 | 1,400 | 1,659 | 1,944 | 2,182 | 2,455 | 2,736 | 3,247 |
| Revenue growth | 17.7% | 15.2% | 23.5% | 17.4% | 18.5% | 17.2% | 12.3% | 12.5% | 11.4% | 18.7% |
| Gross profit | 664 | 745 | 922 | 1,110 | 1,350 | 1,587 | 1,768 | 1,964 | 2,178 | 2,561 |
| Research and development | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Operating income | 145 | 174 | 274 | 364 | 289 | 432 | 451 | 282 | 5 | −72 |
| Net income | 85 | 123 | 238 | 315 | 227 | 293 | 370 | 375 | 139 | 7 |
| Diluted EPS (US$) | 0.26 | 0.37 | 0.65 | 0.86 | 0.59 | 0.74 | 0.93 | 0.92 | 0.34 | 0.02 |
| Diluted shares (millions) | 324 | 336 | 364 | 366 | 383 | 394 | 398 | 407 | 408 | 421 |
| Cash flow | ||||||||||
| Cash from operations | 201 | 235 | 336 | 458 | 486 | 470 | 479 | 490 | 393 | 430 |
| Capital expenditure | 19 | 24 | 30 | 46 | 48 | 124 | 35 | 118 | 579 | 307 |
| Free cash flow | 182 | 210 | 306 | 412 | 438 | 346 | 444 | 372 | −186 | 123 |
| Dividends paid | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Share buybacks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 500 |
| Acquisitions | 10 | 48 | 418 | 438 | 426 | 193 | 6 | 100 | 277 | 2,347 |
| Stock-based compensation | 36 | 39 | 41 | 52 | 53 | 64 | 75 | 85 | 89 | 194 |
| Balance sheet at fiscal year end | ||||||||||
| Cash and short-term investments | 567 | 1,212 | 1,100 | 1,071 | 3,694 | 3,800 | 5,000 | 5,200 | 4,681 | 1,633 |
| Debt incl. finance leases | 338 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 987 | 988 | 989 | 1,004 | 1,007 | 1,004 |
| Total assets | 2,185 | 2,873 | 3,313 | 3,854 | 6,915 | 7,257 | 8,402 | 8,920 | 9,257 | 10,538 |
| Total liabilities | 531 | 222 | 291 | 448 | 1,540 | 1,545 | 1,532 | 1,581 | 1,704 | 2,167 |
| Shareholders' equity | 1,654 | 2,651 | 3,022 | 3,406 | 5,375 | 5,712 | 6,870 | 7,339 | 7,553 | 8,334 |
| Margins and ratios | ||||||||||
| Gross margin | 79.2% | 77.2% | 77.3% | 79.3% | 81.4% | 81.6% | 81.0% | 80.0% | 79.6% | 78.9% |
| Operating margin | 17.3% | 18.0% | 22.9% | 26.0% | 17.4% | 22.2% | 20.7% | 11.5% | 0.2% | −2.2% |
| Net margin | 10.2% | 12.7% | 20.0% | 22.5% | 13.7% | 15.1% | 16.9% | 15.3% | 5.1% | 0.2% |
| Free cash flow margin | 21.7% | 21.8% | 25.7% | 29.4% | 26.4% | 17.8% | 20.3% | 15.2% | −6.8% | 3.8% |
| Return on capital | 6.2% | 9.0% | 13.7% | 13.8% | 9.7% | 11.2% | 11.9% | 7.0% | 0.1% | −0.6% |
| Return on equity | 5.3% | 5.7% | 8.4% | 9.8% | 5.2% | 5.3% | 5.9% | 5.3% | 1.9% | 0.1% |
| Return on assets | 4.0% | 4.8% | 7.7% | 8.8% | 4.2% | 4.1% | 4.7% | 4.3% | 1.5% | 0.1% |
| Net debt to EBITDA | −1.1x | −5.1x | −3.1x | −2.4x | −6.7x | −4.9x | −6.8x | −10.8x | −24.2x | −3.3x |