Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) Given “Neutral” Rating at Wedbush

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD)‘s stock had its “neutral” rating reiterated by equities research analysts at Wedbush in a research report issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $95.00 price target on the financial services provider’s stock. Wedbush’s price target would suggest a potential downside of 0.24% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities research analysts have also commented on WD. StockNews.com lowered shares of Walker & Dunlop from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $105.00 price objective on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WD opened at $95.23 on Friday. Walker & Dunlop has a 52-week low of $61.06 and a 52-week high of $113.67. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $93.82 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $91.74. The stock has a market cap of $3.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.76 and a beta of 1.54.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The financial services provider reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.36. Walker & Dunlop had a net margin of 8.87% and a return on equity of 9.16%. The firm had revenue of $228.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $251.82 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.17 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Walker & Dunlop will post 4.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Howard W. Smith III sold 20,166 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.56, for a total transaction of $1,886,730.96. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 191,508 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,917,488.48. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Walker & Dunlop news, Director Howard W. Smith III sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.81, for a total value of $1,876,200.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 191,508 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,965,365.48. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Howard W. Smith III sold 20,166 shares of Walker & Dunlop stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.56, for a total transaction of $1,886,730.96. Following the transaction, the director now owns 191,508 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,917,488.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 46,074 shares of company stock valued at $4,328,255 over the last ninety days. 5.47% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the first quarter valued at about $34,000. Choreo LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 8.0% during the first quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 4,587 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $464,000 after buying an additional 338 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 73.4% during the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 16,493 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,667,000 after buying an additional 6,980 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 163.6% during the first quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 398 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 247 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BSW Wealth Partners grew its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 237.5% during the first quarter. BSW Wealth Partners now owns 18,122 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,831,000 after buying an additional 12,752 shares during the last quarter. 80.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walker & Dunlop Company Profile

Walker & Dunlop, Inc, through its subsidiaries, originates, sells, and services a range of multifamily and other commercial real estate financing products and services for owners and developers of real estate in the United States. It operates through three segments: Capital Markets, Servicing & Asset Management, and Corporate.