Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) Shares Sold by Commonwealth Equity Services LLC

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lessened its stake in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) by 2.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,701 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 165 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Walker & Dunlop were worth $554,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. National Bank of Canada FI grew its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 42.2% during the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 391 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 230.8% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 751 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 524 shares during the period. KBC Group NV grew 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 purchasing an additional 404 shares during the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC increased its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 42.9% in the fourth quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 2,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $194,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares during the period. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the fourth quarter valued at about $229,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.97% of the company’s stock.

Walker & Dunlop Price Performance

Walker & Dunlop stock opened at $78.17 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $87.65 and a 200-day simple moving average of $99.47. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 12 month low of $76.12 and a 12 month high of $118.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.66 billion, a PE ratio of 24.50 and a beta of 1.63.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The financial services provider reported $1.34 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by ($0.18). The firm had revenue of $341.45 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $316.82 million. Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 9.64% and a net margin of 9.55%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current year.

Walker & Dunlop Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.43%. 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 currently 84.01%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO William M. Walker bought 17,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $86.21 per share, for a total transaction of $1,508,675.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 411,271 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $35,455,672.91. This trade represents a 4.44 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 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.