Dempze Nancy E Decreases Stock Holdings in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD)

Dempze Nancy E cut its holdings in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) by 11.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 11,100 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,400 shares during the quarter. Dempze Nancy E’s holdings in Walker & Dunlop were worth $1,079,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the 4th quarter worth about $40,226,000. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P bought a new stake in Walker & Dunlop during the fourth quarter worth approximately $17,384,000. M.D. Sass LLC raised its position in Walker & Dunlop by 57.4% during the fourth quarter. M.D. Sass LLC now owns 264,855 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,747,000 after purchasing an additional 96,563 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 111.3% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 153,539 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $14,926,000 after purchasing an additional 80,890 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Sabrepoint Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. First Sabrepoint Capital Management LP now owns 150,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $17,038,000 after purchasing an additional 75,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Walker & Dunlop

In other news, CEO William M. Walker acquired 17,500 shares of Walker & Dunlop stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $86.21 per share, for a total transaction of $1,508,675.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 411,271 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $35,455,672.91. This trade represents a 4.44 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 3.66% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Walker & Dunlop Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WD opened at $78.17 on Friday. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 1 year low of $76.12 and a 1 year high of $118.19. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $87.65 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $99.47. The company has a market cap of $2.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.50 and a beta of 1.63.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The financial services provider reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by ($0.18). Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 9.64% and a net margin of 9.55%. The business had revenue of $341.45 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $316.82 million. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current year.

Walker & Dunlop Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This is an increase from Walker & Dunlop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 84.01%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Walker & Dunlop from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $105.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 6th.

Walker & Dunlop Company Profile

Walker & Dunlop, Inc is a holding company, which engages in the provision of commercial real estate and finance services. It operates through the following segments: Capital Markets, Servicing and Asset Management, and Corporate. The Capital Markets segment offers a comprehensive range of commercial real estate finance products to customers.