Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) Lifted to “Strong-Buy” at Wolfe Research

Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) to a strong-buy rating in a research report released on Tuesday morning, Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on WD. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Walker & Dunlop from $105.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. StockNews.com upgraded Walker & Dunlop from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Sunday, August 11th. Finally, Wedbush boosted their target price on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th.

Walker & Dunlop Price Performance

Shares of WD stock opened at $112.06 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $105.82 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $99.11. Walker & Dunlop has a one year low of $62.51 and a one year high of $116.26. The stock has a market cap of $3.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.90 and a beta of 1.55.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The financial services provider reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.16 by $0.07. Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 9.65% and a net margin of 8.41%. The firm had revenue of $270.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $274.50 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.98 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Walker & Dunlop will post 5.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walker & Dunlop Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 22nd were given a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 22nd. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio is 94.89%.

Insider Transactions at Walker & Dunlop

In other Walker & Dunlop news, COO Stephen P. Theobald sold 13,870 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.10, for a total value of $1,471,607.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 53,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,715,500.90. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 5.47% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WD. Creative Planning lifted its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 37.8% in the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 11,258 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,106,000 after purchasing an additional 3,086 shares during the period. Algert Global LLC acquired a new position in Walker & Dunlop in the second quarter valued at $332,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its position in Walker & Dunlop by 6.8% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 18,212 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,788,000 after acquiring an additional 1,156 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 6.8% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,223 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $316,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can raised its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 2.6% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 4,398 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $432,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. 80.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walker & Dunlop Company Profile

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.