Ernest Michael Freedman Acquires 5,000 Shares of Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) Stock

Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) Director Ernest Michael Freedman purchased 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $49.21 per share, for a total transaction of $246,050.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 6,097 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $300,033.37. This represents a 455.79% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Walker & Dunlop Price Performance

NYSE WD opened at $48.30 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.45 and a beta of 1.57. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 12 month low of $42.12 and a 12 month high of $90.00. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $60.75 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $70.46.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The financial services provider reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.46 by ($1.18). The company had revenue of $340.02 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $343.66 million. Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 6.81% and a net margin of 4.56%.Walker & Dunlop’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.32 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current year.

Walker & Dunlop Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a $0.68 dividend. This is an increase from Walker & Dunlop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. This represents a $2.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio is presently 163.41%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on WD shares. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Walker & Dunlop in a report on Friday, December 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $75.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered Walker & Dunlop from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Walker & Dunlop from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $80.00 to $65.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Walker & Dunlop presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $81.25.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walker & Dunlop

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 41.4% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 8,196 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $699,000 after purchasing an additional 2,399 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 17.5% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,702 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $316,000 after buying an additional 552 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 19,115 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,632,000 after buying an additional 823 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its position in Walker & Dunlop by 7.5% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 107,730 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $9,196,000 after buying an additional 7,470 shares during the period. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC increased its position in Walker & Dunlop by 1,136.3% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 62,497 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,335,000 after buying an additional 57,442 shares during the period. 80.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.