Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) Receives $87.00 Consensus Target Price from Brokerages

Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $87.00.

Several research analysts have commented on WD shares. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Walker & Dunlop in a report on Friday, December 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $75.00 price objective on the stock. Citizens Jmp raised Walker & Dunlop from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $95.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on Walker & Dunlop from $82.00 to $80.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research report on Friday, December 5th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walker & Dunlop

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WD. State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 18,787 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,129,000 after buying an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. boosted its position in Walker & Dunlop by 59.9% in the 4th quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 859,072 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $51,673,000 after purchasing an additional 321,734 shares in the last quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 41.5% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 16,684 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,004,000 after purchasing an additional 4,892 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 632.8% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 49,604 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,984,000 after purchasing an additional 42,835 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.97% of the company’s stock.

Walker & Dunlop Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WD opened at $64.04 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $62.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $74.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.18 billion, a PE ratio of 19.00 and a beta of 1.56. Walker & Dunlop has a 1 year low of $58.60 and a 1 year high of $97.00.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $337.68 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $325.10 million. Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 8.85% and a net margin of 9.31%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.19 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Walker & Dunlop will post 4.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walker & Dunlop Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 5th. Investors of record on Friday, November 21st were issued a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 21st. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 79.53%.

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.