Paula A. Pryor Sells 4,533 Shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) Stock

Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) EVP Paula A. Pryor sold 4,533 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.33, for a total value of $441,196.89. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,227 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $898,063.91. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Performance

Shares of Walker & Dunlop stock traded down $0.20 on Wednesday, reaching $96.34. 144,410 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 224,532. The company has a market capitalization of $3.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.23 and a beta of 1.54. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $93.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $92.33. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 52 week low of $61.06 and a 52 week high of $113.67.

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

Walker & Dunlop Dividend Announcement

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 $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 15th. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio is currently 94.89%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walker & Dunlop

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Insight Folios Inc increased its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 2.5% in the 1st quarter. Insight Folios Inc now owns 7,043 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $712,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its position in Walker & Dunlop by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 9,876 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $733,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 11.0% in the 1st quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,025 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $205,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Swiss National Bank lifted its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 0.3% in the first quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 66,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,670,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 12,979 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,441,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WD. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Walker & Dunlop from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a “market perform” rating and set a $105.00 price objective on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. Finally, Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and set a $95.00 price objective on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research note on Friday, May 3rd.

Walker & Dunlop Company Profile

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.