The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Acquires Shares of 16,753 Walker & Dunlop, Inc. $WD

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company bought a new position in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 16,753 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $916,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the second quarter valued at approximately $289,614,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC grew its position in Walker & Dunlop by 1,401.9% during the 4th quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 68,846 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,141,000 after acquiring an additional 64,262 shares during the last quarter. Ieq Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Walker & Dunlop during the 2nd quarter valued at $2,640,000. Royce & Associates LP increased its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 12.2% during the 4th quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 545,558 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $32,815,000 after purchasing an additional 59,465 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in 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 valued at $21,202,000 after purchasing an additional 204,979 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.97% of the company’s stock.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Performance

NYSE:WD opened at $42.69 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $46.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $49.05. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 52-week low of $39.01 and a 52-week high of $90.00. The company has a market cap of $1.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.12 and a beta of 1.45.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $306.69 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $337.37 million. Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 7.25% and a net margin of 2.94%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.15 EPS.

Walker & Dunlop Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th were issued a $0.68 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.4%. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 242.86%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on WD shares. Wall Street Zen raised Walker & Dunlop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 29th. Weiss Ratings cut Walker & Dunlop from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $63.00 to $57.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Citigroup reissued a “market outperform” rating on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. Finally, Citizens Jmp lowered their price objective on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $70.00 to $55.00 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $64.00.

About Walker & Dunlop

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.