Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) Hits New 1-Year High at $113.69

Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $113.69 and last traded at $113.20, with a volume of 68183 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $111.06.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Walker & Dunlop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, August 11th. Wedbush boosted their price objective on Walker & Dunlop from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Walker & Dunlop from $105.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th.

Walker & Dunlop Trading Up 1.8 %

The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $105.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $98.63. The company has a market capitalization of $3.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.37 and a beta of 1.55.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The financial services provider reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.16 by $0.07. Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 9.65% and a net margin of 8.41%. The business had revenue of $270.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $274.50 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.98 EPS. The business’s revenue was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 5.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walker & Dunlop Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 22nd were issued a $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 22nd. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 94.89%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Stephen P. Theobald sold 13,870 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.10, for a total value of $1,471,607.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 53,869 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,715,500.90. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 5.47% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the fourth quarter valued at $40,059,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 11.5% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,204 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $245,000 after purchasing an additional 227 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 13.8% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 9,454 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,049,000 after purchasing an additional 1,149 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 15.9% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 266,537 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,588,000 after purchasing an additional 36,639 shares during the period. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in Walker & Dunlop in the 4th quarter worth about $307,000. 80.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.