Ceredex Value Advisors LLC Acquires 18,650 Shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD)

Ceredex Value Advisors LLC grew its stake in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD - Free Report) by 26.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 90,450 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 18,650 shares during the period. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC owned 0.27% of Walker & Dunlop worth $8,793,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Mariner LLC lifted its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 4,886 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $475,000 after buying an additional 213 shares during the period. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 5.9% in the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 59,867 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $5,820,000 after purchasing an additional 3,347 shares during the last quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 5.9% in 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 period. Granite Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in Walker & Dunlop during the fourth quarter worth about $13,338,000. Finally, Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 13.4% during 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 buying an additional 17,103 shares during the period. 80.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walker & Dunlop Trading Up 2.3 %

Shares of Walker & Dunlop stock traded up $1.67 on Tuesday, reaching $73.72. 28,316 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 219,618. The company has a 50-day moving average of $82.35 and a 200 day moving average of $96.01. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a one year low of $69.59 and a one year high of $118.19. The company has a market capitalization of $2.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.11 and a beta of 1.42.

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 for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.52 by ($0.18). The business had revenue of $341.45 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $316.82 million. Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 9.64% and a net margin of 9.55%. Analysts predict that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Walker & Dunlop Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $0.67 per share. This is a boost from Walker & Dunlop's previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.64%. Walker & Dunlop's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 84.01%.

Insider Activity at Walker & Dunlop

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.