Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) Announces Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.01 EPS

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The financial services provider reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.01, Zacks reports. The company had revenue of $337.68 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $325.10 million. Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 8.81% and a net margin of 9.27%.Walker & Dunlop’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.19 earnings per share.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Down 11.2%

WD stock traded down $8.98 during trading on Thursday, reaching $71.00. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 504,381 shares, compared to its average volume of 234,757. Walker & Dunlop has a 1 year low of $64.48 and a 1 year high of $114.60. The company has a market capitalization of $2.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.91 and a beta of 1.66. The company’s fifty day moving average is $83.23 and its 200-day moving average is $77.36.

Walker & Dunlop Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 21st will be paid a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 21st. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.8%. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio is 82.72%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on WD shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. JMP Securities set a $95.00 price target on shares of Walker & Dunlop and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Wedbush reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $90.00 target price on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $95.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Walker & Dunlop from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $94.25.

Insider Activity

In other Walker & Dunlop news, EVP Paula A. Pryor sold 5,336 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.20, for a total transaction of $459,963.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 9,341 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $805,194.20. This trade represents a 36.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 3.66% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walker & Dunlop

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the 1st quarter worth about $51,000. Engineers Gate Manager LP boosted its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 27.7% during the 2nd quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 4,408 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $311,000 after purchasing an additional 956 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 183.1% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,447 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $313,000 after buying an additional 2,876 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 17.5% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,702 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $316,000 after buying an additional 552 shares during the period. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the second quarter valued at approximately $343,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.97% of the company’s stock.

Walker & Dunlop Company Profile

Walker & Dunlop, Inc is a holding company, which engages in the provision of commercial real estate and finance services. It operates through the following segments: Capital Markets, Servicing and Asset Management, and Corporate. The Capital Markets segment offers a comprehensive range of commercial real estate finance products to customers.