Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) Receives $79.20 Consensus Target Price from Brokerages

Shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has issued a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $79.20.

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on WD. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Walker & Dunlop from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 28th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Walker & Dunlop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Stephens began coverage on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $69.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $65.00 to $67.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walker & Dunlop

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WD. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. increased its position in Walker & Dunlop by 59.9% during the fourth quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 859,072 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $51,673,000 after purchasing an additional 321,734 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in Walker & Dunlop during the 2nd quarter valued at $15,147,000. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 75.2% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 477,737 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $21,202,000 after purchasing an additional 204,979 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP raised its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 238.2% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 284,067 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $23,754,000 after purchasing an additional 200,074 shares during the period. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 568.4% during the fourth quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 181,627 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $10,925,000 after purchasing an additional 154,455 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.97% of the company’s stock.

Walker & Dunlop Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WD opened at $51.11 on Wednesday. Walker & Dunlop has a 12-month low of $42.12 and a 12-month high of $90.00. The company has a market capitalization of $1.75 billion, a PE ratio of 25.30 and a beta of 1.50. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $51.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $54.76.

Walker & Dunlop Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st were given a $0.68 dividend. This represents a $2.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 21st. Walker & Dunlop’s payout ratio is currently 134.65%.

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.