Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) Stock Rating Upgraded by Citizens Jmp

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) was upgraded by equities researchers at Citizens Jmp from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report released on Friday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm presently has a $95.00 price objective on the financial services provider’s stock. Citizens Jmp’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 16.52% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on WD. Wedbush reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $90.00 price objective on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Walker & Dunlop to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $95.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Walker & Dunlop from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walker & Dunlop presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $94.25.

Walker & Dunlop Trading Up 1.2%

WD opened at $81.53 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $83.59 and a 200 day moving average of $76.84. The company has a market cap of $2.78 billion, a PE ratio of 25.16 and a beta of 1.59. Walker & Dunlop has a 12 month low of $64.48 and a 12 month high of $118.19.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last released 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). The business had revenue of $319.24 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $275.84 million. Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 8.81% and a net margin of 9.27%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.23 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Walker & Dunlop will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walker & Dunlop

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

Institutional Trading of Walker & Dunlop

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. First Horizon Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in Walker & Dunlop in the 1st quarter worth $32,000. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in Walker & Dunlop by 115.8% in the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 479 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Walker & Dunlop by 65.7% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 479 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the period. Finally, Strs Ohio purchased a new position in Walker & Dunlop in the 1st quarter worth $51,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.97% of the company’s stock.

About Walker & Dunlop

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.