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

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

WD has been the subject of several research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Walker & Dunlop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target 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. 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. Finally, Stephens initiated coverage on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $69.00 price target for the company.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Performance

WD opened at $51.86 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $1.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.67 and a beta of 1.50. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $50.46 and a 200 day moving average of $55.21. Walker & Dunlop has a fifty-two week low of $42.12 and a fifty-two week high of $90.00.

Walker & Dunlop Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st were given a dividend of $0.68 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $2.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.2%. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio is presently 134.65%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walker & Dunlop

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WD. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 0.4% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,743,034 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $312,993,000 after purchasing an additional 16,392 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,496,711 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $90,027,000 after purchasing an additional 37,828 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 8.2% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,369,114 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $60,760,000 after purchasing an additional 104,008 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 10.4% during the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,198,071 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $100,183,000 after purchasing an additional 113,282 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. lifted its holdings 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 valued at $51,673,000 after purchasing an additional 321,734 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.97% of the company’s stock.

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.