Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) Reaches New 12-Month Low – Time to Sell?

Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Monday. The stock traded as low as $33.21 and last traded at $33.3650, with a volume of 9194 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $33.97.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Walker & Dunlop Trading Up 6.6%

The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $41.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $46.77. The company has a market cap of $1.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.47 and a beta of 1.52.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last released its 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 business had revenue of $306.69 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $337.37 million. Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 7.25% and a net margin of 2.94%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.15 earnings per share.

Walker & Dunlop Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th were issued a dividend of $0.68 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.7%. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 242.86%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walker & Dunlop

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WD. Tidal Investments LLC bought a new position in Walker & Dunlop in the 2nd quarter worth about $405,000. Engineers Gate Manager LP bought a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the second quarter valued at approximately $673,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the second quarter valued at approximately $150,000. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 223.8% in the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 489 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 338 shares during the period. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the second quarter valued at approximately $207,000. 80.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walker & Dunlop Company Profile

Walker & Dunlop, Inc (NYSE: WD) is a commercial real estate finance and advisory company that provides capital and transaction services to property owners, investors, developers and other real estate participants. The company serves clients across major commercial property sectors, including multifamily, office, retail, industrial, hospitality and healthcare.

Its services include commercial real estate lending, debt and equity financing, investment sales, property sales, loan servicing, valuation and advisory services.