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

Shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat 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 target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $79.20.

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings lowered Walker & Dunlop from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Thursday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on Walker & Dunlop from $65.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Stephens assumed coverage on Walker & Dunlop in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $69.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Walker & Dunlop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of Walker & Dunlop stock opened at $50.03 on Friday. Walker & Dunlop has a twelve month low of $42.12 and a twelve month high of $90.00. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $48.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $56.35. The firm has a market cap of $1.72 billion, a PE ratio of 24.76 and a beta of 1.52.

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

Walker & Dunlop Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.68 per share. This represents a $2.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. Walker & Dunlop’s payout ratio is 134.65%.

Insider Activity at Walker & Dunlop

In other news, Director Ernest Michael Freedman acquired 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $49.21 per share, for a total transaction of $246,050.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 6,097 shares in the company, valued at approximately $300,033.37. This represents a 455.79% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Dana L. Schmaltz purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $45.78 per share, for a total transaction of $45,780.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 84,325 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,860,398.50. This represents a 1.20% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 4.02% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walker & Dunlop

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

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.