Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) Sets New 12-Month Low on Analyst Downgrade

Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD)’s stock price hit a new 52-week low on Monday after Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on the stock from $57.00 to $45.00. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods currently has an outperform rating on the stock. Walker & Dunlop traded as low as $32.36 and last traded at $32.3650, with a volume of 25,121 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $33.01.

WD has been the topic of several other reports. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Wall Street Zen raised Walker & Dunlop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 29th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Walker & Dunlop from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. Finally, Citizens Jmp lowered their price objective on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $70.00 to $55.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. Five 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, Walker & Dunlop has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $61.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walker & Dunlop

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 223.8% in the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 489 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 338 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 107.9% during the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 580 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 301 shares in the last quarter. Essential Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 709.1% during the first quarter. Essential Partners LLC now owns 623 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 546 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 1,398.0% in the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 734 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 685 shares during the period. 80.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $39.37 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $46.37. The company has a market capitalization of $1.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.70 and a beta of 1.52.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.29. Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 7.25% and a net margin of 2.94%. The business had revenue of $306.69 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $337.37 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.15 EPS. Walker & Dunlop’s revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis.

Walker & Dunlop Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th were issued a dividend of $0.68 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.5%. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 242.86%.

Walker & Dunlop Company Profile

Walker & Dunlop, Inc (NYSE: WD) is a commercial real estate finance and advisory company that provides capital and transaction services to property owners, investors, developers and other real estate participants. The company serves clients across major commercial property sectors, including multifamily, office, retail, industrial, hospitality and healthcare.

Its services include commercial real estate lending, debt and equity financing, investment sales, property sales, loan servicing, valuation and advisory services.