PNC Financial Services Group Inc. Raises Holdings in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD)

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its position in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) by 11.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,204 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 227 shares during the quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc.’s holdings in Walker & Dunlop were worth $245,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. New York State Common Retirement Fund raised its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 12,979 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,441,000 after buying an additional 219 shares during the period. Planned Solutions Inc. purchased a new position in Walker & Dunlop in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new position in Walker & Dunlop in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Comerica Bank raised its position in Walker & Dunlop by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 15,768 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,750,000 after purchasing an additional 273 shares during the period. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System raised its position in Walker & Dunlop by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 9,321 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,035,000 after purchasing an additional 303 shares during the period. 80.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Paula A. Pryor sold 4,533 shares of Walker & Dunlop stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.33, for a total value of $441,196.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,227 shares in the company, valued at $898,063.91. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 5.26% of the company’s stock.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WD opened at $93.87 on Tuesday. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 1 year low of $62.51 and a 1 year high of $113.67. The firm has a market cap of $3.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.26 and a beta of 1.55. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $95.67 and its 200-day simple moving average is $96.70.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The financial services provider reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.36. Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 9.16% and a net margin of 8.87%. The business had revenue of $228.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $251.82 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.17 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 5.35 EPS for the current year.

Walker & Dunlop Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 16th were given a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 15th. Walker & Dunlop’s payout ratio is 94.89%.

Walker & Dunlop 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.