Wall Street Zen Upgrades Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) to “Hold”

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) was upgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Saturday.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on WD. Weiss Ratings cut Walker & Dunlop from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Walker & Dunlop from $65.00 to $67.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Stephens initiated coverage on Walker & Dunlop in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $69.00 target price on the stock. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $79.20.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:WD opened at $54.57 on Friday. Walker & Dunlop has a 52-week low of $42.12 and a 52-week high of $90.00. The stock has a market cap of $1.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.01 and a beta of 1.52. The business’s 50 day moving average is $47.73 and its 200 day moving average is $59.48.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The financial services provider reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.46 by ($1.18). Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 7.18% and a net margin of 5.29%.The firm had revenue of $340.02 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $343.66 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.32 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walker & Dunlop news, Director Ernest Michael Freedman acquired 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $49.21 per share, with a total value of $246,050.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 6,097 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $300,033.37. This trade represents a 455.79% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Dana L. Schmaltz acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $45.78 per share, with a total value of $45,780.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 84,325 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,860,398.50. This represents a 1.20% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 4.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walker & Dunlop

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WD. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. raised its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 59.9% in the 4th quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 859,072 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $51,673,000 after acquiring an additional 321,734 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in Walker & Dunlop in the 2nd quarter worth $15,147,000. Two Sigma Investments LP raised its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 238.2% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 284,067 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $23,754,000 after acquiring an additional 200,074 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC raised its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 568.4% in the 4th quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 181,627 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $10,925,000 after acquiring an additional 154,455 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC purchased a new position in Walker & Dunlop in the 4th quarter worth $8,526,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.97% of the company’s stock.

Walker & Dunlop News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Walker & Dunlop this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walker & Dunlop reported Q1 earnings of $1.02 per share, far above estimates, with revenue of $301.33 million also topping expectations and rising 26.9% year over year. MarketBeat earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised its price target on Walker & Dunlop to $67 from $65 and reiterated an outperform rating, signaling continued analyst confidence. Benzinga article
• Positive Sentiment: The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.68 per share, which supports the stock’s appeal for income-focused investors.
• Neutral Sentiment: Management struck an optimistic tone on the earnings call, and a reported surge in call volume suggests investors are actively re-evaluating the name after the results. TipRanks earnings call article
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional coverage of the quarter and transcript publication may keep attention on the stock, but these items are largely follow-up items to the earnings release. Seeking Alpha transcript

About Walker & Dunlop

Walker & Dunlop is one of the largest providers of commercial real estate finance in the United States, specializing in the origination, servicing and sale of loans secured by multifamily, seniors housing, healthcare, student housing and manufactured housing properties. The firm offers a full suite of debt and equity solutions, including agency financing through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, HUD and FHA-insured loans, bridge and construction financing, mezzanine debt, preferred equity, and investment sales advisory.

With roots dating back to 1937 and its headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland, Walker & Dunlop has expanded its platform through both organic growth and strategic acquisitions.