Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) Reaches New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $116.51 and last traded at $115.60, with a volume of 3665 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $114.99.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WD has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wolfe Research raised Walker & Dunlop to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. StockNews.com raised Walker & Dunlop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, August 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on Walker & Dunlop from $105.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Wedbush raised their target price on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th.

Walker & Dunlop Trading Down 0.6 %

The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $108.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $101.45. The firm has a market cap of $3.86 billion, a PE ratio of 44.40 and a beta of 1.55.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The financial services provider reported $1.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.16 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $270.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $274.50 million. Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 9.65% and a net margin of 8.41%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.98 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current year.

Walker & Dunlop Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 22nd were given a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 22nd. Walker & Dunlop’s payout ratio is currently 100.39%.

Insider Transactions at Walker & Dunlop

In related news, COO Stephen P. Theobald sold 13,870 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.10, for a total transaction of $1,471,607.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 53,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,715,500.90. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 5.47% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walker & Dunlop

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WD. Arkadios Wealth Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $332,000. Moody Aldrich Partners LLC increased its position in Walker & Dunlop by 92.2% in the third quarter. Moody Aldrich Partners LLC now owns 67,122 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,624,000 after purchasing an additional 32,207 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in Walker & Dunlop by 11,259.2% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 13,631 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,548,000 after purchasing an additional 13,511 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 10.3% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,405 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $160,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in Walker & Dunlop by 27.6% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 104,596 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $11,881,000 after purchasing an additional 22,616 shares during the last quarter. 80.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walker & Dunlop Company 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.