Raymond James Financial Inc. Makes New Investment in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD)

Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 7,061 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $687,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in WD. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 35,324 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,434,000 after acquiring an additional 678 shares during the last quarter. Atria Investments Inc increased its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 13.3% during the 4th quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 4,329 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $421,000 after purchasing an additional 508 shares during the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH increased its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 7.4% during the 4th quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 6,585 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $640,000 after purchasing an additional 453 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC now owns 6,983 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $679,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 460,122 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $44,728,000 after buying an additional 8,915 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.97% of the company's stock.

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Walker & Dunlop Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of WD traded up $0.21 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $73.28. The company's stock had a trading volume of 422,688 shares, compared to its average volume of 193,250. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 1-year low of $69.78 and a 1-year high of $118.19. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $84.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $97.72. The stock has a market cap of $2.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.97 and a beta of 1.42.

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

Walker & Dunlop Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $0.67 per share. This is an increase from Walker & Dunlop's previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.66%. Walker & Dunlop's payout ratio is presently 84.01%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Activity at Walker & Dunlop

In other news, CEO William M. Walker purchased 17,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $86.21 per share, with a total value of $1,508,675.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 411,271 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,455,672.91. This trade represents a 4.44 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 3.66% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Walker & Dunlop 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.