ARGA Investment Management LP Purchases 10,908 Shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. $WD

ARGA Investment Management LP lifted its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) by 151.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,113 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,908 shares during the period. ARGA Investment Management LP owned approximately 0.05% of Walker & Dunlop worth $1,515,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in WD. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd grew its position in Walker & Dunlop by 137.4% in the third quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 31,425 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,628,000 after acquiring an additional 18,186 shares during the last quarter. Davidson Kahn Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Davidson Kahn Capital Management LLC now owns 35,907 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,006,000 after purchasing an additional 518 shares in the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH grew its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 25.1% during the 3rd quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 8,012 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $670,000 after purchasing an additional 1,610 shares during the last quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in Walker & Dunlop by 29.9% during the 3rd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 53,932 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,604,000 after purchasing an additional 12,405 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 8.6% in the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,010 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $403,000 after purchasing an additional 398 shares during the last quarter. 80.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on WD shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Walker & Dunlop from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on Walker & Dunlop from $82.00 to $80.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup reissued a “market outperform” rating on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Walker & Dunlop in a report on Friday, December 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $75.00 price target on the stock. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walker & Dunlop presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $87.00.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Performance

Walker & Dunlop stock opened at $64.04 on Friday. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 52-week low of $58.60 and a 52-week high of $97.00. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $62.62 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $74.23. The firm has a market cap of $2.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.00 and a beta of 1.56.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.01. Walker & Dunlop had a net margin of 9.31% and a return on equity of 8.85%. The company had revenue of $337.68 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $325.10 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.19 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 15.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walker & Dunlop Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 21st were given a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 21st. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.2%. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 79.53%.

Walker & Dunlop Company Profile

Walker & Dunlop is one of the largest providers of commercial real estate finance in the United States, specializing in the origination, servicing and sale of loans secured by multifamily, seniors housing, healthcare, student housing and manufactured housing properties. The firm offers a full suite of debt and equity solutions, including agency financing through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, HUD and FHA-insured loans, bridge and construction financing, mezzanine debt, preferred equity, and investment sales advisory.

With roots dating back to 1937 and its headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland, Walker & Dunlop has expanded its platform through both organic growth and strategic acquisitions.