7,868 Shares in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) Bought by UniSuper Management Pty Ltd

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 7,868 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $795,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WD. Planned Solutions Inc. acquired a new position in Walker & Dunlop during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the first quarter valued at about $34,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. raised its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 163.6% in the 1st quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 398 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio boosted its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 114.3% in the 4th quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 1,500 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $166,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. 80.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Paula A. Pryor sold 4,533 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.33, for a total transaction of $441,196.89. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,227 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $898,063.91. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 5.47% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WD has been the subject of several research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $105.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Wedbush reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $95.00 price target on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research report on Friday, May 3rd.

Walker & Dunlop Price Performance

NYSE:WD traded up $2.90 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $106.94. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 26,991 shares, compared to its average volume of 209,068. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $62.51 and a fifty-two week high of $113.67. The firm has a market cap of $3.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.93 and a beta of 1.55. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $97.45 and its 200-day moving average is $96.08.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The financial services provider reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.36. Walker & Dunlop had a net margin of 8.87% and a return on equity of 9.16%. The business had revenue of $228.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $251.82 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.17 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 5.35 EPS for the current year.

Walker & Dunlop Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 16th were paid a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 15th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.43%. Walker & Dunlop’s payout ratio is currently 94.89%.

About Walker & Dunlop

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.