Barclays PLC Increases Holdings in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD)

Barclays PLC boosted its position in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD - Free Report) by 5.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 59,867 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 3,347 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned approximately 0.18% of Walker & Dunlop worth $5,820,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 5.9% during the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 3,362 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $327,000 after buying an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. Granite Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in Walker & Dunlop during the 4th quarter worth approximately $13,338,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 13.4% in the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 144,904 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $14,086,000 after purchasing an additional 17,103 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 456.4% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 306 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 251 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Walker & Dunlop in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $687,000. 80.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Walker & Dunlop Price Performance

NYSE WD opened at $75.89 on Friday. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 1 year low of $69.59 and a 1 year high of $118.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.58 billion, a PE ratio of 23.79 and a beta of 1.42. The business's 50-day moving average is $81.52 and its 200 day moving average is $95.25.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD - Get Free Report) last posted its 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 analysts' expectations of $316.82 million. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Walker & Dunlop Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.53%. This is a boost from Walker & Dunlop's previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Walker & Dunlop's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 84.01%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $105.00 to $95.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th.

Insider Activity at Walker & Dunlop

In other news, CEO William M. Walker bought 17,500 shares of Walker & Dunlop stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $86.21 per share, for a total transaction of $1,508,675.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 411,271 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $35,455,672.91. The trade was a 4.44 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 3.66% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Walker & Dunlop

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.

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