Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) Shares Sold by Royce & Associates LP

Royce & Associates LP decreased its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 77,446 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 530 shares during the quarter. Royce & Associates LP owned about 0.23% of Walker & Dunlop worth $8,797,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. National Bank of Canada FI boosted its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 205.6% during the second quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 275 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 1,295.8% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 335 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 311 shares during the period. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the 1st quarter worth $57,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. raised its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 44.5% in the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 575 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 177 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 64.7% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 654 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $74,000 after acquiring an additional 257 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.97% of the company’s stock.

Walker & Dunlop Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE WD opened at $106.62 on Monday. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 12-month low of $81.14 and a 12-month high of $118.19. The company has a market cap of $3.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.08 and a beta of 1.55. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $110.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $103.58.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.29 by ($0.10). Walker & Dunlop had a net margin of 8.91% and a return on equity of 9.81%. The company had revenue of $292.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $294.24 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.11 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 5.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walker & Dunlop Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 22nd. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.44%. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio is presently 92.86%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on WD shares. StockNews.com upgraded Walker & Dunlop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, August 11th. Wedbush lifted their price target on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Wolfe Research raised shares of Walker & Dunlop to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $105.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Stephen P. Theobald sold 13,870 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.10, for a total transaction of $1,471,607.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 53,869 shares in the company, valued at $5,715,500.90. This trade represents a 20.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 5.47% of the company’s stock.

Walker & Dunlop Profile

Walker & Dunlop, Inc, through its subsidiaries, originates, sells, and services a range of multifamily and other commercial real estate financing products and services for owners and developers of real estate in the United States. It operates through three segments: Capital Markets, Servicing & Asset Management, and Corporate.