Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) Given New $95.00 Price Target at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD - Free Report) had its target price reduced by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $105.00 to $95.00 in a report issued on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the financial services provider's stock.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WD traded up $1.70 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $73.75. 46,143 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 219,952. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $82.35 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $96.01. Walker & Dunlop has a 12 month low of $69.59 and a 12 month high of $118.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.51 billion, a PE ratio of 23.12 and a beta of 1.42.

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

Walker & Dunlop Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.63%. This is a positive change from Walker & Dunlop's previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Walker & Dunlop's payout ratio is currently 84.01%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO William M. Walker bought 17,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The stock was bought at an average price of $86.21 per share, for a total transaction of $1,508,675.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly 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 SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 3.66% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walker & Dunlop

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WD. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 456.4% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 306 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 251 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 90.5% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 383 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 122.0% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 444 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 244 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 26.1% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 764 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $65,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 230.8% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 751 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $72,000 after acquiring an additional 524 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.97% of the company's stock.

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.