Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $77.20.

A number of research firms recently commented on WD. Stephens initiated coverage on Walker & Dunlop in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $69.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut Walker & Dunlop from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on Walker & Dunlop from $63.00 to $57.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Walker & Dunlop from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th.

Walker & Dunlop Price Performance

WD stock opened at $42.31 on Thursday. Walker & Dunlop has a one year low of $41.38 and a one year high of $90.00. The stock has a market cap of $1.45 billion, a PE ratio of 37.78 and a beta of 1.49. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $50.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $51.60.

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

Walker & Dunlop Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.68 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.4%. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio is currently 242.86%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in WD. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the 2nd quarter valued at $289,614,000. State Street Corp raised its position in Walker & Dunlop by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,496,711 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $90,027,000 after purchasing an additional 37,828 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Walker & Dunlop by 8.2% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,369,114 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $60,760,000 after purchasing an additional 104,008 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 10.4% in the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,198,071 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $100,183,000 after purchasing an additional 113,282 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. grew its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 321,734 shares during the last quarter. 80.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.