Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Upgrades Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) to Outperform

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) was upgraded by analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm presently has a $105.00 price objective on the financial services provider’s stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ price objective would suggest a potential upside of 20.06% from the stock’s current price.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE WD opened at $87.46 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $2.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.42 and a beta of 1.63. Walker & Dunlop has a 52-week low of $81.07 and a 52-week high of $118.19. The business’s 50 day moving average is $91.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $102.27.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walker & Dunlop news, CEO William M. Walker purchased 17,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $86.21 per share, for a total transaction of $1,508,675.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 411,271 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,455,672.91. The trade was a 4.44 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 5.47% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walker & Dunlop

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. National Bank of Canada FI boosted its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Versor Investments LP boosted its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 3,426 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $333,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Synergy Financial Group LTD raised its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 1.7% in the third quarter. Synergy Financial Group LTD now owns 8,601 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $977,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 5.9% in the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 3,362 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $327,000 after buying an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sage Mountain Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 8.7% in the fourth quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 2,380 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $231,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.97% of the company’s stock.

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.