Insider Selling: Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) EVP Sells 4,533 Shares of Stock

Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) EVP Paula A. Pryor sold 4,533 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.33, for a total transaction of $441,196.89. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,227 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $898,063.91. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Down 0.2 %

Walker & Dunlop stock opened at $96.34 on Thursday. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 52 week low of $61.06 and a 52 week high of $113.67. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $93.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $92.36. The stock has a market cap of $3.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.16 and a beta of 1.54.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The financial services provider reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.36. Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 9.16% and a net margin of 8.87%. The business had revenue of $228.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $251.82 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.17 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 4.2 EPS for the current year.

Walker & Dunlop Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 15th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.70%. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 94.89%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walker & Dunlop

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Entropy Technologies LP lifted its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 12.2% during the first quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 5,728 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $579,000 after purchasing an additional 623 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 7.4% during the 1st quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 6,453 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $652,000 after buying an additional 443 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 20,314 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,053,000 after buying an additional 633 shares in the last quarter. Swiss National Bank raised its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 66,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,670,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 7.5% during the first quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 19,583 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,979,000 after acquiring an additional 1,366 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on WD. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $105.00 price objective on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. Wedbush reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $95.00 price target on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com cut Walker & Dunlop from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd.

Walker & Dunlop Company Profile

Walker & Dunlop, Inc, through its subsidiaries, originates, sells, and services a range of multifamily and other commercial real estate financing products and services for owners and developers of real estate in the United States. It operates through three segments: Capital Markets, Servicing & Asset Management, and Corporate.