Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) Reaches New 1-Year Low at $74.37

Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD – Get Rating)’s stock price hit a new 52-week low on Monday . The company traded as low as $74.37 and last traded at $77.04, with a volume of 26509 shares. The stock had previously closed at $78.62.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Walker & Dunlop from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 31st. StockNews.com upgraded Walker & Dunlop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 27th. Finally, TheStreet upgraded Walker & Dunlop from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 7th.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $90.11 and a 200-day moving average of $87.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.51 and a beta of 1.37.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 21st. The financial services provider reported $1.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.55 by ($0.14). Walker & Dunlop had a net margin of 16.84% and a return on equity of 12.97%. The firm had revenue of $282.85 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $331.46 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.42 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 30.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 6.49 EPS for the current year.

Walker & Dunlop Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 23rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 8th will be given a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 7th. This is a boost from Walker & Dunlop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.16%. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.56%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Paula A. Pryor sold 5,596 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.04, for a total transaction of $498,267.84. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,077 shares in the company, valued at $1,164,376.08. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, COO Stephen P. Theobald sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.35, for a total transaction of $277,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 43,699 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,035,602.65. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Paula A. Pryor sold 5,596 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.04, for a total value of $498,267.84. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,077 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,164,376.08. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 27,092 shares of company stock worth $2,569,847 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 8.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WD. Romano Brothers AND Company purchased a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 398.6% in the third quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 359 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 287 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 5,066.7% in the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 310 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 304 shares in the last quarter. First Manhattan Co. purchased a new stake in Walker & Dunlop in the first quarter worth approximately $65,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in Walker & Dunlop in the third quarter worth approximately $110,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.78% of the company’s stock.

Walker & Dunlop Company Profile

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Walker & Dunlop, Inc is a holding company. engages in the provision of commercial real estate and finance services. It focuses on multifamily lending, debt brokerage, and property sales. It also involves the delivery and servicing of loan products for its customers. The company was founded by Oliver Walker and Laird Dunlop in 1937 and is headquartered in Bethesda, MD.