Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) Sets New 1-Year Low – What’s Next?

Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD)’s share price reached a new 52-week low on Monday . The stock traded as low as $41.09 and last traded at $41.5690, with a volume of 83259 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $42.56.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on WD shares. Stephens initiated coverage on Walker & Dunlop in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $69.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen cut Walker & Dunlop from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Walker & Dunlop from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on Walker & Dunlop from $63.00 to $57.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walker & Dunlop presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $74.00.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Down 3.7%

The company’s fifty day moving average price is $50.08 and its 200-day moving average price is $51.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.41 billion, a PE ratio of 36.61 and a beta of 1.49.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $306.69 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.15 EPS.

Walker & Dunlop Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.68 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.6%. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 242.86%.

Institutional Trading of Walker & Dunlop

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the second quarter worth approximately $289,614,000. Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new position in Walker & Dunlop in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $63,434,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in Walker & Dunlop in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $20,437,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in Walker & Dunlop in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $15,147,000. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 238.2% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 284,067 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $23,754,000 after purchasing an additional 200,074 shares during the last quarter. 80.97% of the stock is currently owned by 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.