Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) Reaches New 12-Month Low – Here’s Why

Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) shares reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Tuesday. The stock traded as low as $36.32 and last traded at $37.06, with a volume of 498574 shares. The stock had previously closed at $37.98.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on Walker & Dunlop from $63.00 to $57.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 7th. Weiss Ratings lowered Walker & Dunlop from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Walker & Dunlop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 29th. Citizens Jmp dropped their price target on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $70.00 to $55.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Finally, Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $64.00.

Walker & Dunlop Price Performance

The business has a 50 day moving average price of $42.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $47.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.46 and a beta of 1.45.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last announced its earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $306.69 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $337.37 million. Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 7.25% and a net margin of 2.94%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.15 EPS.

Walker & Dunlop Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th were issued a dividend of $0.68 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.7%. Walker & Dunlop’s payout ratio is 242.86%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walker & Dunlop

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Tidal Investments LLC bought a new position in Walker & Dunlop during the second quarter worth $405,000. Engineers Gate Manager LP acquired a new position in Walker & Dunlop during the 2nd quarter valued at $673,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new stake in Walker & Dunlop in the 2nd quarter valued at $150,000. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 223.8% in the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 489 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 338 shares during the period. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Walker & Dunlop in the 2nd quarter worth $207,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.97% of the company’s stock.

About Walker & Dunlop

Walker & Dunlop, Inc is a commercial real estate finance and advisory firm headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. The company provides financing, investment sales, capital markets, investment banking, valuation, research, and property brokerage services to owners, investors, developers, and other participants in the commercial real estate industry.

Its financing activities include arranging debt and equity for multifamily, office, industrial, retail, hospitality, and other commercial properties.