Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) Sets New 12-Month High – Here’s What Happened

Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $116.51 and last traded at $115.60, with a volume of 3665 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $114.99.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Walker & Dunlop to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. 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 note on Thursday, July 25th. StockNews.com raised shares of Walker & Dunlop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, August 11th. Finally, Wedbush lifted their price target on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $3.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.33 and a beta of 1.55. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $109.18 and its 200 day moving average is $101.65.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The financial services provider reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.16 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $270.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $274.50 million. Walker & Dunlop had a net margin of 8.41% and a return on equity of 9.65%. Walker & Dunlop’s revenue was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.98 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walker & Dunlop Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 22nd were paid a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 22nd. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.32%. Walker & Dunlop’s payout ratio is 100.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walker & Dunlop

In other news, COO Stephen P. Theobald sold 13,870 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.10, for a total value of $1,471,607.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 53,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,715,500.90. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 5.47% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Walker & Dunlop

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. National Bank of Canada FI boosted its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 205.6% during the second quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 275 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Walker & Dunlop during the first quarter worth $34,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 1,295.8% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 335 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 311 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. lifted its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 44.5% during the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 575 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in Walker & Dunlop during the first quarter valued at $57,000. 80.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walker & Dunlop Company Profile

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.