Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) Shares Acquired by Victory Capital Management Inc.

Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) by 65.9% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 658,857 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 261,708 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Walker & Dunlop were worth $73,140,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Planned Solutions Inc. acquired a new position in Walker & Dunlop in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new position in Walker & Dunlop in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Strs Ohio lifted its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 133.3% in the 3rd quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 700 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the period. Byrne Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the third quarter valued at about $56,000. Finally, Arkadios Wealth Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the fourth quarter valued at about $205,000. 80.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on WD shares. Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $95.00 price objective on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research report on Friday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $105.00 target price on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Walker & Dunlop from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Howard W. Smith III sold 20,166 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.56, for a total value of $1,886,730.96. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 191,508 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,917,488.48. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Walker & Dunlop news, CFO Gregory Florkowski sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.45, for a total transaction of $385,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 11,809 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,138,978.05. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Howard W. Smith III sold 20,166 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.56, for a total value of $1,886,730.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 191,508 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,917,488.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 46,074 shares of company stock worth $4,328,255. 5.47% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE WD opened at $95.39 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.81 and a beta of 1.54. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 52 week low of $61.06 and a 52 week high of $113.67. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $93.85 and a 200 day moving average price of $91.41.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The financial services provider reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.36. The company had revenue of $228.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $251.82 million. Walker & Dunlop had a net margin of 8.87% and a return on equity of 9.16%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.17 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 4.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walker & Dunlop Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 15th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.73%. Walker & Dunlop’s payout ratio is 94.89%.

About Walker & Dunlop

Walker & Dunlop, Inc, through its subsidiaries, originates, sells, and services a range of multifamily and other commercial real estate financing products and services for owners and developers of real estate in the United States. It operates through three segments: Capital Markets, Servicing & Asset Management, and Corporate.