Legal & General Group Plc Takes $4.32 Million Position in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. $WD

Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 78,931 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $4,318,000. Legal & General Group Plc owned 0.23% of Walker & Dunlop at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 107.9% in the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 580 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 301 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio bought a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the 1st quarter valued at about $51,000. Essential Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 709.1% in the 1st quarter. Essential Partners LLC now owns 623 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 546 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the second quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 1,398.0% during the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 734 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 685 shares in the last quarter. 80.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Performance

NYSE WD opened at $42.69 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $46.63 and a 200 day simple moving average of $49.05. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 52-week low of $39.01 and a 52-week high of $90.00. The company has a market capitalization of $1.47 billion, a PE ratio of 38.12 and a beta of 1.45.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $306.69 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $337.37 million. Walker & Dunlop had a net margin of 2.94% and a return on equity of 7.25%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.15 earnings per share.

Walker & Dunlop Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th were issued a $0.68 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.4%. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 242.86%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on WD. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Walker & Dunlop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 29th. Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. Citizens Jmp cut their price target on Walker & Dunlop from $70.00 to $55.00 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. Weiss Ratings lowered Walker & Dunlop from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on Walker & Dunlop from $63.00 to $57.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 7th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $64.00.

About Walker & Dunlop

Walker & Dunlop is one of the largest providers of commercial real estate finance in the United States, specializing in the origination, servicing and sale of loans secured by multifamily, seniors housing, healthcare, student housing and manufactured housing properties. The firm offers a full suite of debt and equity solutions, including agency financing through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, HUD and FHA-insured loans, bridge and construction financing, mezzanine debt, preferred equity, and investment sales advisory.

With roots dating back to 1937 and its headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland, Walker & Dunlop has expanded its platform through both organic growth and strategic acquisitions.