Erste Asset Management GmbH Purchases 4,066 Shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD)

Erste Asset Management GmbH lifted its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD - Free Report) by 2.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 178,760 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 4,066 shares during the quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH owned 0.53% of Walker & Dunlop worth $17,106,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. National Bank of Canada FI boosted its position in Walker & Dunlop by 42.2% during the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 391 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the period. Versor Investments LP boosted its position in Walker & Dunlop by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 3,426 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $333,000 after buying an additional 126 shares during the period. Synergy Financial Group LTD boosted its position in Walker & Dunlop by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Synergy Financial Group LTD now owns 8,601 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $977,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the period. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC boosted its position in Walker & Dunlop by 8.7% during the 4th quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 2,380 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $231,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the period. Finally, Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC boosted its position in 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 buying an additional 228 shares during the period. 80.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded 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.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WD traded up $2.39 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $87.33. The stock had a trading volume of 193,865 shares, compared to its average volume of 182,977. The firm has a market cap of $2.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.38 and a beta of 1.63. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a twelve month low of $81.07 and a twelve month high of $118.19. The company's 50 day moving average price is $90.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $101.60.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD - Get Free Report) 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 firm had revenue of $341.45 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $316.82 million. Equities analysts forecast that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 given a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.07%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This is an increase from Walker & Dunlop's previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Walker & Dunlop's payout ratio is presently 84.01%.

Insider Activity at Walker & Dunlop

In related news, CEO William M. Walker bought 17,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were bought at an average price of $86.21 per share, for a total transaction of $1,508,675.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 5.47% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.