Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) Issues Earnings Results

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) issued its earnings results on Thursday. The financial services provider reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by ($0.18), Zacks reports. Walker & Dunlop had a net margin of 8.91% and a return on equity of 9.81%. The company had revenue of $341.45 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $316.82 million.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of WD traded up $0.17 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $86.33. 255,576 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 168,814. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $96.73 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $104.29. Walker & Dunlop has a 52-week low of $84.63 and a 52-week high of $118.19. The company has a market cap of $2.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.83 and a beta of 1.55.

Walker & Dunlop Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.10%. This is a boost from Walker & Dunlop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 92.86%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price 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.

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.