Quantbot Technologies LP Invests $178,000 in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD)

Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 1,828 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $178,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. National Bank of Canada FI increased its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 42.2% in the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 391 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 230.8% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 751 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 524 shares during the period. KBC Group NV raised its position in Walker & Dunlop by 33.6% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,607 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $156,000 after buying an additional 404 shares during the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 42.9% during the 4th quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 2,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $194,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares during the period. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the third quarter worth $230,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.97% of the company’s stock.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Performance

Shares of WD stock opened at $84.00 on Monday. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $81.07 and a fifty-two week high of $118.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.33 and a beta of 1.63. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $88.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $100.23.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The financial services provider reported $1.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.52 by ($0.18). Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 9.64% and a net margin of 9.55%. The company had revenue of $341.45 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $316.82 million. On average, equities analysts forecast that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Walker & Dunlop Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.19%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This is a positive change from Walker & Dunlop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Walker & Dunlop’s payout ratio is presently 84.01%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Walker & Dunlop from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $105.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 6th.

Insider Activity at Walker & Dunlop

In related news, CEO William M. Walker purchased 17,500 shares of Walker & Dunlop stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $86.21 per share, with a total value of $1,508,675.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 411,271 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $35,455,672.91. The trade was a 4.44 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 3.66% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Walker & Dunlop Company Profile

Walker & Dunlop, Inc is a holding company, which engages in the provision of commercial real estate and finance services. It operates through the following segments: Capital Markets, Servicing and Asset Management, and Corporate. The Capital Markets segment offers a comprehensive range of commercial real estate finance products to customers.