Morgan Stanley valued realtor.com at $2.5 billion: News Corp.

Robert Thomson Morgan Stanley estimates realtor.com is worth $2.5 billion, News Corp. CEO Robert Thomson said in a recent interview. That's more than double the $950 million that News Corp. paid for the listing portal's owner, Move Inc., two years ago. A News Corp. spokeswoman told Inman that Morgan Stanley released the estimate in an August report. A Morgan Stanley spokeswoman couldn't immediately confirm the estimate, saying she was reaching out to an Australian analyst who may have been its source. If accurate, the valuation provides validation of the realtor.com acquisition as the media giant continues to retool the listing portal's consumer experience and real estate agent products. Thomson's take on the realtor.com acquisition In an interview at a global media conference hosted by financial services company UBS, Thomson said News Corp. took over a "laggard in the market," and while "renovating the house while living it," turned realtor.com into the ...