Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) Reaches New 52-Week Low - Should You Sell?

Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $72.32 and last traded at $73.81, with a volume of 256400 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $75.09.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Walker & Dunlop from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $105.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 6th.

Walker & Dunlop Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $2.54 billion, a PE ratio of 23.41 and a beta of 1.42. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $84.78 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $97.61.

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

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Walker & Dunlop Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a $0.67 dividend. This is an increase from Walker & Dunlop's previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.59%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Walker & Dunlop's payout ratio is currently 84.01%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO William M. Walker purchased 17,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were bought at an average price of $86.21 per share, for a total transaction of $1,508,675.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 411,271 shares in the company, valued at $35,455,672.91. This trade represents a 4.44 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 3.66% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walker & Dunlop

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WD. Verition Fund Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 14.3% in the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 2,487 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $282,000 after purchasing an additional 312 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the 3rd quarter worth about $230,000. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 42.2% during the third 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 during the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new position in Walker & Dunlop in the third quarter valued at approximately $382,000. Finally, Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Walker & Dunlop in the third quarter valued at approximately $356,000. 80.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.