Smartleaf Asset Management LLC Buys 524 Shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD)

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) by 230.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 751 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 524 shares during the quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Walker & Dunlop were worth $72,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of WD. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 42.2% during the 3rd 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. KBC Group NV raised its position in Walker & Dunlop by 28.4% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,203 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $137,000 after purchasing an additional 266 shares in the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 42.9% during the fourth quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 2,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $194,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the 3rd quarter worth about $230,000. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC increased its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 14.3% during the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 2,487 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $282,000 after purchasing an additional 312 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walker & Dunlop news, CEO William M. Walker bought 17,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $86.21 per share, with a total value of $1,508,675.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 411,271 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $35,455,672.91. This trade represents a 4.44 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 5.47% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Up 1.7 %

Walker & Dunlop stock opened at $87.46 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $91.12 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $102.26. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a twelve month low of $81.07 and a twelve month high of $118.19. The company has a market capitalization of $2.96 billion, a PE ratio of 27.42 and a beta of 1.63.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The financial services provider reported $1.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.52 by ($0.18). The company had revenue of $341.45 million for 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%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walker & Dunlop Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $0.67 dividend. This is a boost from Walker & Dunlop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.06%. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 84.01%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.