Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC Raises Position in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD)

Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) by 7,867.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 73,461 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 72,539 shares during the quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC owned 0.22% of Walker & Dunlop worth $8,155,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 4,480.2% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 397,149 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,484,000 after acquiring an additional 388,478 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the 4th quarter worth $22,893,000. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 170.3% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 361,198 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,512,000 after purchasing an additional 227,577 shares in the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 27.5% in the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 954,795 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $74,933,000 after buying an additional 206,042 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 960.7% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 201,387 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $14,951,000 after buying an additional 182,401 shares in the last quarter. 80.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Performance

Walker & Dunlop stock opened at $90.98 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.61 and a beta of 1.53. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $61.06 and a fifty-two week high of $113.67. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $94.46 and a 200-day simple moving average of $89.87.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 15th. The financial services provider reported $1.42 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.04 by $0.38. The company had revenue of $274.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $276.76 million. Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 9.15% and a net margin of 10.18%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.41 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 4.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Walker & Dunlop Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were given a dividend of $0.65 per share. This is an increase from Walker & Dunlop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.86%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 81.76%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on WD shares. StockNews.com cut Walker & Dunlop from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $105.00 price target on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Finally, Wedbush downgraded shares of Walker & Dunlop from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $130.00 to $95.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and three have issued a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walker & Dunlop presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $100.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walker & Dunlop

In related news, EVP Paula A. Pryor sold 1,908 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.09, for a total transaction of $179,523.72. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 3,707 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $348,791.63. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Walker & Dunlop news, CFO Gregory Florkowski sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.45, for a total transaction of $385,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 11,809 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,138,978.05. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Paula A. Pryor sold 1,908 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.09, for a total transaction of $179,523.72. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 3,707 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $348,791.63. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 46,074 shares of company stock worth $4,328,255. 5.26% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Walker & Dunlop Company Profile

Walker & Dunlop, Inc, through its subsidiaries, originates, sells, and services a range of multifamily and other commercial real estate financing products and services for owners and developers of real estate in the United States. It operates through three segments: Capital Markets, Servicing & Asset Management, and Corporate.