Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Trims Holdings in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC decreased its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) by 6.5% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,861 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 408 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Walker & Dunlop were worth $576,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Insight Folios Inc grew its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. Insight Folios Inc now owns 7,043 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $712,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Swiss National Bank boosted its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 0.3% during the first quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 66,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,670,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in 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 buying an additional 227 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 163.6% in the 1st quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 398 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 247 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Comerica Bank raised its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 15,768 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,750,000 after acquiring an additional 273 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.97% of the company’s stock.

Walker & Dunlop Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of Walker & Dunlop stock opened at $111.06 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.74 billion, a PE ratio of 40.53 and a beta of 1.55. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 12 month low of $62.51 and a 12 month high of $113.67. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $105.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $98.55.

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

Walker & Dunlop Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 22nd. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio is currently 94.89%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Stephen P. Theobald sold 13,870 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.10, for a total value of $1,471,607.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 53,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,715,500.90. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 5.47% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com raised Walker & Dunlop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, August 11th. Wedbush boosted their price target on shares of 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 raised their price objective on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $105.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th.

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.