REA share price in focus
Founded in 1995, REA Group is a Melbourne-based real estate advertising company, with News Corp as its majority shareholder. It is best known in Australia for its flagship platform, Realestate.com.au.
REA Group operates globally, managing property websites across 10 countries, serving around 20,000 property agents. In Australia, its core website attracts over 55 million visits per month, and the Australian operations still contribute the majority of the company’s revenue. REA generates income primarily by charging property owners for listings, facilitated through agents who use the platform to showcase properties for sale or rent. The company also earns revenue through financial services, such as mortgage broking, though this remains a smaller portion of the business.
REA’s competitive edge lies in its strong network effects and economies of scale. With significantly more users and views than its closest competitor, Domain, REA is well-positioned to dictate pricing and market dynamics. Additionally, REA benefits from its diversified presence across the real estate ecosystem, including property listings, advertising, mortgage broking, and house-sharing services.
ZIP shares
Zip Co is a ‘fintech’ company founded in 2013. It offers a buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) service that is popular among retail consumers.
Zip’s platform allows customers to purchase items immediately and repay them over several interest-free instalments.
Like most BNPL companies, Zip makes money through transaction fees paid by the business, as well as late fees charged to customers who miss payments.
REA & ZIP share price valuation
As a growth company, some of the trends we might investigate from REA include revenue growth, profit growth, and return on equity (ROE). These measures can indicate the growth rates and prospects of the company, as well as their ability to generate returns from their assets.
Since 2021, REA has grown revenue at a rate of 18.6% per year to reach $1,677m in FY24. Over the same stretch of time, net profit has fallen from $323m to $303m. As for ROE, REA last reported a ROE of 18.9%.
Over the last 3 years, ZIP has increased revenue at a rate of 75.7% per year to hit $868m in FY24. Meanwhile, net profit has increased from -$678m to $6m. As for ROE, ZIP’s last reported figure was 1.8%.
Please keep in mind that context is important. These metrics give us some indication of company performance, but it’s just the start of valuing REA or ZIP shares. To learn more about valuation, check out one of our free online investing courses.
