Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $81.25.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on WD. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research note on Friday, December 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $75.00 target price on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on Walker & Dunlop from $80.00 to $65.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Walker & Dunlop from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research report on Friday, December 5th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walker & Dunlop

In other Walker & Dunlop news, Director Ernest Michael Freedman bought 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $49.21 per share, for a total transaction of $246,050.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 6,097 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Dana L. Schmaltz bought 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $45.78 per share, for a total transaction of $45,780.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 84,325 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,860,398.50. This trade represents a 1.20% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 3.66% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walker & Dunlop

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of WD. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 1,398.0% during the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 734 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 685 shares during the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the 4th quarter worth approximately $263,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in Walker & Dunlop by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 93,728 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,638,000 after purchasing an additional 2,632 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in Walker & Dunlop during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $62,000. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd bought a new position in Walker & Dunlop during the 4th quarter worth $602,000. Institutional investors own 80.97% of the company’s stock.

Walker & Dunlop Trading Up 0.4%

WD stock opened at $44.45 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $54.12 and a 200-day simple moving average of $65.27. The company has a market capitalization of $1.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.10 and a beta of 1.53. Walker & Dunlop has a twelve month low of $42.12 and a twelve month high of $90.00.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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). The company had revenue of $340.02 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $343.66 million. Walker & Dunlop had a net margin of 4.56% and a return on equity of 6.81%. The company’s revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.32 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Walker & Dunlop will post 4.97 EPS for the current year.

Walker & Dunlop Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th were issued a $0.68 dividend. This is a boost from Walker & Dunlop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. This represents a $2.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio is presently 165.85%.

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.