Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) Sets New 12-Month Low - Should You Sell?

Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $81.07 and last traded at $82.31, with a volume of 242593 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $83.82.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of Walker & Dunlop from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $105.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Thursday.

Walker & Dunlop Price Performance

The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $91.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $102.50. The company has a market capitalization of $2.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.05 and a beta of 1.55.

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

Walker & Dunlop Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This is a boost from Walker & Dunlop's previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Walker & Dunlop's payout ratio is presently 84.01%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walker & Dunlop

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Walker & Dunlop during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $40,226,000. FMR LLC grew its position in Walker & Dunlop by 48.7% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,227,874 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $139,474,000 after purchasing an additional 402,313 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 33.1% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,415,479 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $160,784,000 after buying an additional 351,957 shares during the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P bought a new position in Walker & Dunlop during the fourth quarter valued at about $17,384,000. Finally, Erste Asset Management GmbH purchased a new stake in Walker & Dunlop during the third quarter worth about $19,843,000. 80.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walker & Dunlop Company 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.