ARGA Investment Management LP Acquires 17,516 Shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. $WD

ARGA Investment Management LP lifted its holdings in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) by 96.7% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 35,629 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 17,516 shares during the quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP’s holdings in Walker & Dunlop were worth $1,581,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 49.0% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 303,242 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,357,000 after buying an additional 99,658 shares during the period. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. grew its holdings in shares of 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 worth $51,673,000 after buying an additional 321,734 shares in the last quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC raised its position in Walker & Dunlop by 1,401.9% in the 4th quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 68,846 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,141,000 after buying an additional 64,262 shares during the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP raised its position in Walker & Dunlop by 12.2% in the 4th quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 545,558 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $32,815,000 after buying an additional 59,465 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capitolis Liquid Global Markets LLC bought a new stake in Walker & Dunlop in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,651,000. 80.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on WD. Weiss Ratings raised Walker & Dunlop from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $65.00 to $67.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Walker & Dunlop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Stephens began coverage on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $69.00 target price for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $79.20.

Walker & Dunlop Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of WD opened at $50.28 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $51.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $53.93. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 1-year low of $42.12 and a 1-year high of $90.00. The company has a market cap of $1.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.89 and a beta of 1.48.

Walker & Dunlop Dividend Announcement

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

Walker & Dunlop Profile

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.