Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) Sets New 1-Year Low – Time to Sell?

Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD)’s stock price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $37.00 and last traded at $36.9990, with a volume of 13315 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $38.32.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WD has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $63.00 to $57.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Citizens Jmp cut their price objective on Walker & Dunlop from $70.00 to $55.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Walker & Dunlop from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Walker & Dunlop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 29th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $64.00.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $1.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.03 and a beta of 1.45. The business has a fifty day moving average of $43.75 and a 200-day moving average of $47.56.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.29. Walker & Dunlop had a net margin of 2.94% and a return on equity of 7.25%. The company had revenue of $306.69 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $337.37 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.15 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year.

Walker & Dunlop Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th were given 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 yield of 7.4%. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio is presently 242.86%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walker & Dunlop

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the second quarter valued at approximately $289,614,000. Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $63,434,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Walker & Dunlop by 8.2% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,369,114 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $60,760,000 after buying an additional 104,008 shares in the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP raised its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 12.2% during the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 545,558 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $32,815,000 after buying an additional 59,465 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. boosted its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 3.7% in the second quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 555,439 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,383,000 after acquiring an additional 19,988 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.97% of the company’s stock.

Walker & Dunlop Company Profile

Walker & Dunlop, Inc is a commercial real estate finance and advisory firm headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. The company provides financing, investment sales, capital markets, investment banking, valuation, research, and property brokerage services to owners, investors, developers, and other participants in the commercial real estate industry.

Its financing activities include arranging debt and equity for multifamily, office, industrial, retail, hospitality, and other commercial properties.