Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Lowers Stake in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. $WD

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lowered its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,612 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 177 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Walker & Dunlop were worth $348,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Walker & Dunlop in the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in Walker & Dunlop in the 1st quarter worth $32,000. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in Walker & Dunlop by 122.0% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 444 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares during the period. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in Walker & Dunlop in the 1st quarter worth $51,000. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI raised its position in Walker & Dunlop by 81.9% in the 1st quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 724 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 326 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on WD shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Walker & Dunlop from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research report on Saturday, September 27th. Finally, Wedbush reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $90.00 target price on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $92.50.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Paula A. Pryor sold 5,336 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.20, for a total value of $459,963.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 9,341 shares in the company, valued at approximately $805,194.20. This represents a 36.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 3.66% of the company’s stock.

Walker & Dunlop Price Performance

NYSE:WD opened at $80.51 on Wednesday. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a one year low of $64.48 and a one year high of $118.19. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $83.27 and its 200 day simple moving average is $76.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.85 and a beta of 1.59.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.15 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.29 by ($0.14). Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 8.81% and a net margin of 9.27%.The business had revenue of $319.24 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $275.84 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.23 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walker & Dunlop Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 21st were paid a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 21st. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio is currently 82.72%.

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.