Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) Reaches New 12-Month High - Should You Buy?

Shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Friday . The stock traded as high as $116.51 and last traded at $115.60, with a volume of 3665 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $114.99.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WD has been the subject of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Walker & Dunlop from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, August 11th. Wedbush upped their target price on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on Walker & Dunlop from $105.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded Walker & Dunlop to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Down 2.4 %

The stock has a market cap of $3.79 billion, a PE ratio of 44.15 and a beta of 1.55. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $108.78 and a 200 day moving average price of $101.45.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The financial services provider reported $1.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.16 by $0.07. Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 9.65% and a net margin of 8.41%. The firm had revenue of $270.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $274.50 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.98 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Walker & Dunlop Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 22nd were issued a $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 22nd. Walker & Dunlop's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 100.39%.

Insider Activity

In other Walker & Dunlop news, COO Stephen P. Theobald sold 13,870 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.10, for a total value of $1,471,607.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 53,869 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,715,500.90. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 5.47% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,761,433 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $417,557,000 after purchasing an additional 10,743 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,319,434 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $129,566,000 after buying an additional 20,739 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 13.8% in the 2nd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,063,522 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $104,438,000 after buying an additional 129,289 shares during the period. Impactive Capital LP increased its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 242.0% in the 1st quarter. Impactive Capital LP now owns 1,034,093 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $104,505,000 after acquiring an additional 731,714 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in Walker & Dunlop by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 377,417 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $37,062,000 after acquiring an additional 2,815 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.97% of the company's stock.

Walker & Dunlop Company Profile

Walker & Dunlop, Inc, through its subsidiaries, originates, sells, and services a range of multifamily and other commercial real estate financing products and services for owners and developers of real estate in the United States. It operates through three segments: Capital Markets, Servicing & Asset Management, and Corporate.