Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) Shares Sold by Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. decreased its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) by 14.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 279,896 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 46,980 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. owned about 0.84% of Walker & Dunlop worth $31,071,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WD. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its position in Walker & Dunlop by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 107,205 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $7,959,000 after buying an additional 4,437 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 60.8% in the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 59,049 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,384,000 after purchasing an additional 22,316 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 413,474 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,696,000 after purchasing an additional 5,839 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG raised its position in Walker & Dunlop by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 90,860 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,745,000 after purchasing an additional 1,995 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 2Xideas AG boosted its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. 2Xideas AG now owns 156,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $11,581,000 after buying an additional 2,719 shares during the period. 80.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WD opened at $95.33 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $95.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $96.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.21 billion, a PE ratio of 34.79 and a beta of 1.54. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $62.51 and a fifty-two week high of $113.67.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last announced 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 company had revenue of $228.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $251.82 million. Walker & Dunlop had a net margin of 8.87% and a return on equity of 9.16%. The firm’s revenue was down 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.17 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 5.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walker & Dunlop Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 16th were paid a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 15th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.73%. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio is currently 94.89%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on WD. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $105.00 target price on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Walker & Dunlop from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, Wedbush reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $95.00 price objective on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research report on Friday, May 3rd.

Insider Activity at Walker & Dunlop

In other Walker & Dunlop news, EVP Paula A. Pryor sold 4,533 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.33, for a total transaction of $441,196.89. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 9,227 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $898,063.91. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 5.47% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Walker & Dunlop

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.