Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) Stock Rating Reaffirmed by Wedbush

Wedbush reaffirmed their neutral rating on shares of Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) in a research note released on Friday, Benzinga reports. Wedbush currently has a $95.00 target price on the financial services provider’s stock.

WD has been the subject of several other research reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Walker & Dunlop from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a market perform rating and set a $105.00 price objective on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th.

Walker & Dunlop Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE WD opened at $95.23 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $3.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.76 and a beta of 1.54. Walker & Dunlop has a twelve month low of $61.06 and a twelve month high of $113.67. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $93.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $91.91.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The financial services provider reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.36. The firm had revenue of $228.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $251.82 million. Walker & Dunlop had a net margin of 8.87% and a return on equity of 9.16%. Walker & Dunlop’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.17 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Walker & Dunlop will post 4.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Walker & Dunlop Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 15th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.73%. Walker & Dunlop’s payout ratio is currently 94.89%.

Insider Transactions at Walker & Dunlop

In other news, Director Howard W. Smith III sold 20,166 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.56, for a total transaction of $1,886,730.96. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 191,508 shares in the company, valued at $17,917,488.48. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, Director Howard W. Smith III sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.81, for a total transaction of $1,876,200.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 191,508 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,965,365.48. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Howard W. Smith III sold 20,166 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.56, for a total value of $1,886,730.96. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 191,508 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,917,488.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 46,074 shares of company stock worth $4,328,255. Company insiders own 5.47% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walker & Dunlop

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Walker & Dunlop during the first quarter worth about $34,000. Choreo LLC raised its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 8.0% during the 1st quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 4,587 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $464,000 after purchasing an additional 338 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 73.4% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 16,493 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,667,000 after buying an additional 6,980 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. lifted its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 163.6% in the 1st quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 398 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 247 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BSW Wealth Partners grew its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 237.5% during the 1st quarter. BSW Wealth Partners now owns 18,122 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,831,000 after buying an additional 12,752 shares during the last quarter. 80.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walker & Dunlop Company Profile

Walker & Dunlop, Inc, through its subsidiaries, originates, sells, and services a range of multifamily and other commercial real estate financing products and services for owners and developers of real estate in the United States. It operates through three segments: Capital Markets, Servicing & Asset Management, and Corporate.