Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Lowers Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) Price Target to $57.00

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) had its target price lowered by investment analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $63.00 to $57.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ price target suggests a potential upside of 28.85% from the stock’s previous close.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Wall Street Zen raised Walker & Dunlop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Walker & Dunlop from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Stephens assumed coverage on Walker & Dunlop in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $69.00 price target for the company. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $77.20.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Performance

Walker & Dunlop stock opened at $44.24 on Friday. Walker & Dunlop has a 1 year low of $41.38 and a 1 year high of $90.00. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $50.88 and a 200 day moving average price of $52.20. The company has a market cap of $1.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.90 and a beta of 1.49.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.29. Walker & Dunlop had a net margin of 5.29% and a return on equity of 7.18%. The company had revenue of $306.69 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $337.37 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.15 EPS. Walker & Dunlop’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walker & Dunlop

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. increased its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 321,734 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the second quarter worth $15,147,000. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 75.2% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 477,737 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $21,202,000 after buying an additional 204,979 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 238.2% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 284,067 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $23,754,000 after buying an additional 200,074 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the 2nd quarter valued at about $10,454,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.97% of the company’s stock.

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.