Ceredex Value Advisors LLC Makes New $8.16 Million Investment in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD)

Ceredex Value Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 71,800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $8,156,000. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.21% of Walker & Dunlop at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. National Bank of Canada FI raised its position 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 period. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Walker & Dunlop during the first quarter valued at about $34,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 1,295.8% during the third 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 in the last quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the first quarter worth about $57,000. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 44.5% in the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 575 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Walker & Dunlop

In related news, COO Stephen P. Theobald sold 13,870 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.10, for a total value 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 approximately $5,715,500.90. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 5.47% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Walker & Dunlop Trading Down 1.5 %

NYSE WD opened at $107.78 on Friday. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 1-year low of $66.36 and a 1-year high of $116.51. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $109.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $102.36. The company has a market capitalization of $3.64 billion, a PE ratio of 41.61 and a beta of 1.55.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The financial services provider reported $1.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.16 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $270.70 million for 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 revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.98 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current year.

Walker & Dunlop Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 22nd were given a $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 22nd. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio is 100.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

About Walker & Dunlop

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.