Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wolfe Research

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) was upgraded by stock analysts at Wolfe Research to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, Zacks.com reports.

WD has been the subject of a number of other reports. Wedbush upped their price target on Walker & Dunlop from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Walker & Dunlop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, August 11th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $105.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Performance

Shares of WD stock opened at $112.58 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $105.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $98.90. Walker & Dunlop has a 52-week low of $62.51 and a 52-week high of $114.64. The stock has a market cap of $3.80 billion, a PE ratio of 41.09 and a beta of 1.55.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last posted 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. The business had revenue of $270.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $274.50 million. Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 9.65% and a net margin of 8.41%. The firm’s revenue was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.98 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Walker & Dunlop will post 5.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Stephen P. Theobald sold 13,870 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.10, for a total transaction of $1,471,607.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 53,869 shares in the company, valued at $5,715,500.90. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 5.47% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. National Bank of Canada FI grew its position in Walker & Dunlop by 205.6% in the second quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 275 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the 1st quarter valued at about $34,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 163.6% in the first quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 398 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 247 shares during the last quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new stake in Walker & Dunlop during the first quarter worth about $57,000. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC bought a new stake in Walker & Dunlop during the second quarter worth about $94,000. 80.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.