Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) Director Gary Pinkus Buys 4,850 Shares of Stock

Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) Director Gary Pinkus bought 4,850 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 9th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $41.35 per share, with a total value of $200,547.50. Following the purchase, the director owned 4,850 shares in the company, valued at $200,547.50. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Down 3.6%

WD opened at $39.98 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $36.65 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $47.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.38 billion, a P/E ratio of -39.58 and a beta of 1.48. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 12-month low of $31.40 and a 12-month high of $69.19.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The financial services provider reported $0.92 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by ($0.06). Walker & Dunlop had a positive return on equity of 6.66% and a negative net margin of 2.64%. The business had revenue of $298.45 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $310.93 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.22 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year.

Walker & Dunlop Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 4th. Investors of record on Friday, November 20th will be given a dividend of $0.68 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 20th. This represents a $2.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.8%. Walker & Dunlop’s payout ratio is -269.31%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on WD. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Walker & Dunlop from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a report on Monday. Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research report on Friday, October 16th. Citizens Jmp cut their price objective on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $55.00 to $50.00 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $45.00 to $43.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Walker & Dunlop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 29th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $59.25.

Institutional Trading of Walker & Dunlop

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WD. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 3.7% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 31,246 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,097,000 after purchasing an additional 1,126 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 39.8% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,606 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 457 shares in the last quarter. Carson Advisory Inc. increased its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 10.4% in the 3rd quarter. Carson Advisory Inc. now owns 14,900 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $523,000 after buying an additional 1,400 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 7,999 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $281,000 after buying an additional 323 shares during the period. Finally, Maryland State Retirement & Pension System increased its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 56.8% in the 3rd quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 7,765 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $273,000 after buying an additional 2,813 shares during the period. 80.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Walker & Dunlop

Walker & Dunlop, Inc. is a commercial real estate finance and advisory firm focused primarily on multifamily properties. It arranges debt and equity financing, provides investment sales and property valuation services, and offers capital markets and investment management services to property owners and investors. The company works with government-sponsored housing finance agencies, including Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as well as the Federal Housing Administration, to provide financing options. Its services also include loan servicing and financing for other types of commercial real estate.