Walker & Dunlop, Inc. $WD Shares Newly Acquired by CenterBook Partners LP

CenterBook Partners LP acquired a new position in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 193,529 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $6,795,000. CenterBook Partners LP owned approximately 0.56% of Walker & Dunlop at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Walker & Dunlop in the 2nd quarter worth $289,614,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 8.2% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,369,114 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $60,760,000 after purchasing an additional 104,008 shares during the period. Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the second quarter worth about $63,434,000. Conversant Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 33.0% during the first quarter. Conversant Capital LLC now owns 560,316 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $24,867,000 after purchasing an additional 138,936 shares during the period. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. increased its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 3.7% in the 2nd quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 555,439 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,383,000 after buying an additional 19,988 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on WD shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $45.00 to $43.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Citizens Jmp reduced their target price on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $55.00 to $50.00 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Walker & Dunlop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 29th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Walker & Dunlop from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a report on Friday, October 16th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $59.25.

Walker & Dunlop Trading Down 2.0%

Walker & Dunlop stock traded down $0.81 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $39.02. The company had a trading volume of 765,414 shares, compared to its average volume of 554,216. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 12-month low of $31.40 and a 12-month high of $72.61. The company’s fifty day moving average is $36.66 and its 200-day moving average is $47.38. The company has a market capitalization of $1.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -38.64 and a beta of 1.48.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The financial services provider reported $0.92 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.98 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $298.45 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $310.93 million. Walker & Dunlop had a net margin of 2.94% and a return on equity of 7.25%. Walker & Dunlop’s revenue for the quarter was down 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.22 earnings per share.

Walker & Dunlop Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.68 per share. This represents a $2.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 20th. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio is presently 242.86%.

More Walker & Dunlop News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walker & Dunlop this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.68 per share, equivalent to $2.72 annually and a reported 7.0% yield. The dividend may appeal to income-focused investors. Dividend announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: A Q3 deep dive highlighted cost actions and a portfolio shift following a loan repurchase write-down. Cost measures could help future performance, but the write-down underscores ongoing risk. Q3 deep dive
• Neutral Sentiment: Shares crossed above their 50-day moving average, a potentially constructive technical signal, though the report noted this came after an analyst downgrade. Moving average and analyst downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Q3 adjusted EPS was $0.92, below the $0.98 consensus, while revenue of $298.45 million missed the $310.93 million estimate. Revenue declined 11.6% year over year, and EPS fell from $1.22 a year earlier—evidence of weaker operating results. Q3 results miss estimates
• Negative Sentiment: The analyst downgrade adds pressure to sentiment amid the earnings shortfall. Analyst downgrade

About Walker & Dunlop

Walker & Dunlop, Inc is a commercial real estate finance and advisory firm serving property owners, investors and developers across the United States. The company provides financing, investment sales, valuation, research and advisory services for a broad range of commercial real estate assets, including multifamily, office, industrial, retail, hospitality and senior housing properties.

Its financing business arranges debt and equity solutions through relationships with banks, life insurance companies, government-sponsored enterprises and other capital providers.