Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the seven analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $79.20.

A number of equities analysts recently commented on WD shares. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Walker & Dunlop from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Stephens assumed coverage on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $69.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Walker & Dunlop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on Walker & Dunlop from $65.00 to $67.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walker & Dunlop

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of WD. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,496,711 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $90,027,000 after buying an additional 37,828 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 8.2% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,369,114 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $60,760,000 after acquiring an additional 104,008 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 10.4% during the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,198,071 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $100,183,000 after acquiring an additional 113,282 shares during the period. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 59.9% during the fourth quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 859,072 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $51,673,000 after acquiring an additional 321,734 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Conversant Capital LLC lifted its position in Walker & Dunlop by 33.0% in the 1st quarter. Conversant Capital LLC now owns 560,316 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $24,867,000 after acquiring an additional 138,936 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.97% of the company’s stock.

Walker & Dunlop Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WD opened at $51.50 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $1.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.50 and a beta of 1.49. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $51.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $52.34. Walker & Dunlop has a one year low of $42.12 and a one year high of $90.00.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $306.69 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $337.37 million. Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 7.18% and a net margin of 5.29%.

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.