Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 15,350 Shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD)

Principal Financial Group Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD - Free Report) by 9.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 151,684 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 15,350 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.45% of Walker & Dunlop worth $17,230,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Erste Asset Management GmbH purchased a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the third quarter worth approximately $19,843,000. Quest Partners LLC grew its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 2,259,700.0% in the third quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 22,598 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,567,000 after purchasing an additional 22,597 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Walker & Dunlop by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,319,434 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $129,566,000 after purchasing an additional 20,739 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 11,259.2% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 13,631 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,548,000 after purchasing an additional 13,511 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 13.8% during the 2nd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,063,522 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $104,438,000 after buying an additional 129,289 shares during the last quarter. 80.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Down 1.9 %

NYSE WD traded down $1.90 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $96.76. The company had a trading volume of 102,443 shares, compared to its average volume of 195,841. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $107.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $105.53. The stock has a market cap of $3.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.56 and a beta of 1.53. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $87.20 and a fifty-two week high of $118.19.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.29 by ($0.10). Walker & Dunlop had a net margin of 8.91% and a return on equity of 9.81%. The firm had revenue of $292.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $294.24 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.11 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 5.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Walker & Dunlop Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 22nd. Walker & Dunlop's payout ratio is 92.86%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on WD shares. Wedbush raised their price objective on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Wolfe Research upgraded Walker & Dunlop to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th.

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.