Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) CEO Purchases $1,508,675.00 in Stock

Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD - Get Free Report) CEO William M. Walker purchased 17,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $86.21 per share, with a total value of $1,508,675.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 411,271 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $35,455,672.91. The trade was a 4.44 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Down 1.4 %

WD traded down $1.20 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $86.44. The company had a trading volume of 453,991 shares, compared to its average volume of 187,766. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $91.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $102.26. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 52 week low of $81.07 and a 52 week high of $118.19. The company has a market capitalization of $2.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.10 and a beta of 1.63.

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

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Walker & Dunlop Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.67 per share. This is an increase from Walker & Dunlop's previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.10%. Walker & Dunlop's dividend payout ratio is presently 84.01%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walker & Dunlop

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. National Bank of Canada FI increased its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 42.2% during the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 391 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Versor Investments LP raised its position in Walker & Dunlop by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 3,426 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $333,000 after buying an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Synergy Financial Group LTD boosted its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Synergy Financial Group LTD now owns 8,601 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $977,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 3,362 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $327,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sage Mountain Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 8.7% during the fourth quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 2,380 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $231,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.97% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of Walker & Dunlop from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $105.00 target price for the company in a research report on Thursday.

About Walker & Dunlop

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.