Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) Hits New 12-Month Low – Here’s What Happened

Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD)’s stock price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $84.29 and last traded at $85.17, with a volume of 218590 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $86.44.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $120.00 to $105.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th.

Walker & Dunlop Price Performance

The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $94.55 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $103.61. The stock has a market cap of $2.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.94 and a beta of 1.55.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The financial services provider reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.52 by ($0.18). Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 9.64% and a net margin of 9.55%. The firm had revenue of $341.45 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $316.82 million. As a group, analysts forecast that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walker & Dunlop Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $0.67 dividend. This is an increase from Walker & Dunlop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Walker & Dunlop’s payout ratio is currently 81.50%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walker & Dunlop

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 456.4% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 306 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 251 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 1,295.8% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 335 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 311 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI grew its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 42.2% in the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 391 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Walker & Dunlop by 230.8% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 751 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 524 shares during the period. Finally, State of Wyoming bought a new stake in Walker & Dunlop during the fourth quarter worth about $96,000. 80.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walker & Dunlop Company Profile

Walker & Dunlop, Inc is a holding company, which engages in the provision of commercial real estate and finance services. It operates through the following segments: Capital Markets, Servicing and Asset Management, and Corporate. The Capital Markets segment offers a comprehensive range of commercial real estate finance products to customers.