Norges Bank Acquires New Shares in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD)

Norges Bank bought a new position in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 413,802 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $40,226,000. Norges Bank owned 1.23% of Walker & Dunlop at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Walker & Dunlop by 29.3% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 72,649 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $8,252,000 after purchasing an additional 16,481 shares during the last quarter. Weiss Asset Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,568,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 20.9% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 13,667 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,552,000 after buying an additional 2,362 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 85,613 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $9,725,000 after buying an additional 328 shares in the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its position in Walker & Dunlop by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 18,881 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,145,000 after acquiring an additional 669 shares during the period. 80.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Walker & Dunlop Price Performance

NYSE WD opened at $78.17 on Friday. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 12 month low of $76.12 and a 12 month high of $118.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.66 billion, a PE ratio of 24.50 and a beta of 1.42. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $87.65 and its 200 day simple moving average is $99.41.

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

Walker & Dunlop Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.43%. This is a boost from Walker & Dunlop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Walker & Dunlop’s payout ratio is currently 84.01%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walker & Dunlop news, CEO William M. Walker purchased 17,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $86.21 per share, for a total transaction of $1,508,675.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 411,271 shares in the company, valued at $35,455,672.91. This represents a 4.44 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 3.66% of the company’s stock.

Walker & Dunlop 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.