Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $80.61 and last traded at $80.98, with a volume of 112664 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $85.06.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Walker & Dunlop from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $105.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 6th.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Walker & Dunlop
Walker & Dunlop Stock Up 2.8 %
The company has a 50-day moving average of $87.22 and a 200 day moving average of $99.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.62 billion, a PE ratio of 24.15 and a beta of 1.42.
Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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). The company had revenue of $341.45 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $316.82 million. Walker & Dunlop had a net margin of 9.55% and a return on equity of 9.64%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Walker & Dunlop Increases Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.47%. This is a positive change from Walker & Dunlop's previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Walker & Dunlop's payout ratio is 84.01%.
Insider Activity at Walker & Dunlop
In other Walker & Dunlop news, CEO William M. Walker bought 17,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was bought at an average price of $86.21 per share, for a total transaction of $1,508,675.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 411,271 shares in the company, valued at $35,455,672.91. The trade was a 4.44 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 3.66% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walker & Dunlop
Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 122.0% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 444 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 244 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 10,661.6% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 65,215 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $5,567,000 after purchasing an additional 64,609 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 90.5% during the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 383 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 17.1% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 100,260 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $9,746,000 after purchasing an additional 14,647 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Twinbeech Capital LP lifted its position in Walker & Dunlop by 1,648.3% during the fourth quarter. Twinbeech Capital LP now owns 39,023 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,793,000 after buying an additional 36,791 shares during the period. 80.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
About Walker & Dunlop
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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