Brokerages Set Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) PT at $87.00

Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the seven ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $87.00.

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on WD shares. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Walker & Dunlop from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a report on Monday, December 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on Walker & Dunlop from $82.00 to $80.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Citizens Jmp upgraded Walker & Dunlop from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $95.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 10th.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Down 3.1%

NYSE WD opened at $63.35 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $2.16 billion, a PE ratio of 18.80 and a beta of 1.56. Walker & Dunlop has a 52 week low of $58.60 and a 52 week high of $97.09. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $62.71 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $74.42.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $337.68 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $325.10 million. Walker & Dunlop had a net margin of 9.31% and a return on equity of 8.85%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 15.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.19 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Walker & Dunlop will post 4.97 EPS for the current year.

Walker & Dunlop Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 5th. Investors of record on Friday, November 21st were issued a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 21st. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio is 79.53%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 41.5% in the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 16,684 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,004,000 after purchasing an additional 4,892 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in Walker & Dunlop by 632.8% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 49,604 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,984,000 after buying an additional 42,835 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 17.1% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,869 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $360,000 after acquiring an additional 859 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 49.0% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 303,242 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,357,000 after acquiring an additional 99,658 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the 3rd quarter valued at about $294,000. 80.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Walker & Dunlop

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.