Brokerages Set Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) Price Target at $81.25

Shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has given a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $81.25.

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Walker & Dunlop from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research report on Friday, December 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $75.00 target price for the company. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped 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, February 27th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Ernest Michael Freedman acquired 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was bought at an average price of $49.21 per share, with a total value of $246,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 6,097 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $300,033.37. The trade was a 455.79% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Dana L. Schmaltz acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $45.78 per share, with a total value of $45,780.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 84,325 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,860,398.50. This represents a 1.20% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 3.66% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Walker & Dunlop

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Arizona State Retirement System grew its position in Walker & Dunlop by 1.4% in the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 10,055 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $841,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew 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 valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC grew its position in Walker & Dunlop by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 6,425 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $386,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank grew its position in Walker & Dunlop by 49.6% in the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 585 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its position in Walker & Dunlop by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 18,787 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,129,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.97% of the company’s stock.

Walker & Dunlop Price Performance

Shares of WD stock opened at $44.78 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.30 and a beta of 1.53. Walker & Dunlop has a 1-year low of $42.12 and a 1-year high of $90.00. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $52.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $64.10.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last announced 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 analysts’ expectations of $343.66 million. Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 6.81% and a net margin of 4.56%.The company’s revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.32 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Walker & Dunlop will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walker & Dunlop Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th were given a dividend of $0.68 per share. This is a boost from Walker & Dunlop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. This represents a $2.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.1%. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio is currently 165.85%.

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.