Vanguard Group Inc. Raises Holdings in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. $WD

Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 3,743,034 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 16,392 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 0.11% of Walker & Dunlop worth $312,993,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WD. Allworth Financial LP increased its position in Walker & Dunlop by 115.8% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 479 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 257 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Walker & Dunlop by 65.7% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 479 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Strs Ohio bought a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the 1st quarter valued at about $51,000. CWM LLC increased its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 261.6% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,338 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $112,000 after purchasing an additional 968 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 758.5% during the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,468 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $123,000 after purchasing an additional 1,297 shares during the last quarter. 80.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Walker & Dunlop

Here are the key news stories impacting Walker & Dunlop this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Board raised the quarterly dividend to $0.68 (1.5% increase), implying a ~5.7% yield — supports income investors and can underpin the share base.
• Positive Sentiment: Management provided 2026 EPS guidance of $3.50–$4.00 and said it will accelerate asset sales to shore up earnings and pursue market‑share growth; this signals a path to restore profitability (may be seen as constructive if execution follows). Walker & Dunlop outlines $3.50–$4.00 EPS guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut its price target from $80 to $65 but kept an “outperform” rating — still signals upside vs. current levels, though the lower target reduces near‑term analyst support. Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: Conference call and transcript / slide deck are available for investors to assess management’s explanation of the quarter and details on asset sales and capital allocation. Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 EPS missed heavily: reported $0.28 vs. consensus ~$1.46 (a ~$1.18 shortfall); revenue of $340.0M slightly missed estimates — the large EPS miss is the primary catalyst for the decline and raises near‑term execution concerns. MarketBeat earnings summary
• Negative Sentiment: Market commentary notes shares are falling on the results; the stock is trading well below its 50‑day and 200‑day moving averages and nearer its one‑year low, which can amplify downside while investors reassess valuation and the timing of asset sales. Why Walker & Dunlop Shares Are Falling Today

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WD has been the subject of several recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $80.00 to $65.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Wall Street Zen lowered Walker & Dunlop from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Walker & Dunlop in a research report on Friday, December 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $75.00 price objective on the stock. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $81.25.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Performance

Shares of WD opened at $45.88 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.56 billion, a PE ratio of 27.97 and a beta of 1.55. The company’s fifty day moving average is $61.94 and its 200 day moving average is $71.78. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $42.12 and a fifty-two week high of $90.00.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The financial services provider reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.46 by ($1.18). The company had revenue of $340.02 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $343.66 million. Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 6.80% and a net margin of 4.56%.The company’s revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.32 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Walker & Dunlop Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.68 per share. This is a positive change from Walker & Dunlop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. This represents a $2.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. Walker & Dunlop’s payout ratio is currently 79.53%.

Walker & Dunlop 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.