Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $15.19 Million Holdings in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD)

Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD - Free Report) by 3.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 156,264 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 4,580 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.46% of Walker & Dunlop worth $15,190,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 1,295.8% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 335 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 311 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI increased its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 42.2% in the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 391 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the period. KBC Group NV raised its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 28.4% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,203 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $137,000 after acquiring an additional 266 shares in the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 42.9% in the 4th quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 2,000 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $194,000 after buying an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Heritage Investors Management Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the 3rd quarter valued at $227,000. Institutional investors own 80.97% of the company's stock.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WD traded up $0.87 during trading on Friday, hitting $85.81. 252,222 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 203,685. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 1-year low of $81.97 and a 1-year high of $118.19. The company has a market capitalization of $2.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.90 and a beta of 1.55. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $92.44 and its 200-day simple moving average is $102.91.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The financial services provider reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.52 by ($0.18). The company 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%. On average, research analysts forecast that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walker & Dunlop Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This is a positive change from Walker & Dunlop's previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.12%. Walker & Dunlop's dividend payout ratio is 84.01%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $120.00 to $105.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th.

Walker & Dunlop 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.