Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (WD) – What Are Analysts Saying About This Stock?

Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the six research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $59.25.

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Walker & Dunlop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 29th. Citizens Jmp dropped their price target on Walker & Dunlop from $55.00 to $50.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 16th. Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research report on Friday, October 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on Walker & Dunlop from $45.00 to $43.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Walker & Dunlop from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a report on Monday, November 9th.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Down 0.8%

WD stock traded down $0.32 during trading on Friday, reaching $38.30. 375,852 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 558,391. Walker & Dunlop has a 1-year low of $31.40 and a 1-year high of $66.47. The firm has a market cap of $1.32 billion, a PE ratio of -37.92 and a beta of 1.48. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $36.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $46.76.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 5th. The financial services provider reported $0.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.98 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $298.45 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $310.93 million. Walker & Dunlop had a negative net margin of 2.64% and a positive return on equity of 6.66%. The company’s revenue was down 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.22 earnings per share.

Walker & Dunlop Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 4th. Investors of record on Friday, November 20th will be paid a $0.68 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 20th. This represents a $2.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.1%. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -269.31%.

Insider Activity

In other Walker & Dunlop news, Director Gary S. Pinkus bought 4,850 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 9th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $41.35 per share, with a total value of $200,547.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,850 shares in the company, valued at approximately $200,547.50. This represents a ? increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 4.02% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Walker & Dunlop during the second quarter worth $289,614,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the second quarter valued at about $4,318,000. Algert Global LLC acquired a new stake in Walker & Dunlop during the second quarter worth about $3,766,000. Man Group plc acquired a new stake in Walker & Dunlop during the second quarter worth about $5,095,000. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the second quarter valued at approximately $2,640,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.97% of the company’s stock.

Walker & Dunlop Company Profile

Walker & Dunlop, Inc. is a commercial real estate finance and advisory firm focused primarily on multifamily properties. It arranges debt and equity financing, provides investment sales and property valuation services, and offers capital markets and investment management services to property owners and investors. The company works with government-sponsored housing finance agencies, including Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as well as the Federal Housing Administration, to provide financing options. Its services also include loan servicing and financing for other types of commercial real estate.