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

Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD)’s share price reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $80.61 and last traded at $80.98, with a volume of 112664 shares. The stock had previously closed at $85.06.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of Walker & Dunlop from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $105.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 6th.

Walker & Dunlop Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $2.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.50 and a beta of 1.63. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $87.65 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $99.47.

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

Walker & Dunlop Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.43%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This is a positive change from Walker & Dunlop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Walker & Dunlop’s payout ratio is presently 84.01%.

Insider Activity at Walker & Dunlop

In related news, CEO William M. Walker acquired 17,500 shares of Walker & Dunlop stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $86.21 per share, for a total transaction of $1,508,675.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 411,271 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,455,672.91. This represents a 4.44 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 3.66% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walker & Dunlop

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 29.3% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 72,649 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $8,252,000 after buying an additional 16,481 shares during the period. Weiss Asset Management LP acquired a new position in Walker & Dunlop in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,568,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 20.9% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 13,667 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,552,000 after purchasing an additional 2,362 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 0.4% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 85,613 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $9,725,000 after purchasing an additional 328 shares during the period. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 3.7% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 18,881 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,145,000 after purchasing an additional 669 shares in the last quarter. 80.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Walker & Dunlop

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.