Victory Capital Management Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD)

Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD - Free Report) by 13.8% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,063,522 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 129,289 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned about 3.15% of Walker & Dunlop worth $104,438,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. National Bank of Canada FI increased its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 205.6% in the 2nd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 275 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Walker & Dunlop in the 1st quarter valued at about $34,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 163.6% during the 1st quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 398 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 247 shares in the last quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in Walker & Dunlop during the 1st quarter valued at about $57,000. Finally, LRI Investments LLC acquired a new position in Walker & Dunlop during the first quarter worth about $98,000. 80.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Down 2.3 %

Shares of NYSE:WD traded down $2.48 during trading on Friday, reaching $104.20. The stock had a trading volume of 118,099 shares, compared to its average volume of 208,274. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $103.05 and a 200-day moving average price of $97.77. The stock has a market cap of $3.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.03 and a beta of 1.55. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $62.51 and a fifty-two week high of $113.67.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The financial services provider reported $1.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.16 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $270.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $274.50 million. Walker & Dunlop had a net margin of 8.41% and a return on equity of 9.65%. The company's revenue was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.98 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 5.27 EPS for the current year.

Walker & Dunlop Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 22nd were issued a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 22nd. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.50%. Walker & Dunlop's payout ratio is 94.89%.

Insider Activity at Walker & Dunlop

In related news, COO Stephen P. Theobald sold 13,870 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The shares were 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 directly owns 53,869 shares in the company, valued at $5,715,500.90. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 5.47% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $105.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. StockNews.com upgraded Walker & Dunlop from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, August 11th. Finally, Wedbush increased their target price on Walker & Dunlop from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, August 9th.

About Walker & Dunlop

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.