Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) Price Target Raised to $110.00 at Wedbush

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) had its price target lifted by Wedbush from $105.00 to $110.00 in a report issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Wedbush also issued estimates for Walker & Dunlop’s FY2024 earnings at $5.48 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $3.75 EPS.

Several other research firms have also recently commented on WD. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Walker & Dunlop from $105.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Wolfe Research raised Walker & Dunlop to a strong-buy rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Walker & Dunlop from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Sunday, August 11th.

Walker & Dunlop Price Performance

Shares of Walker & Dunlop stock opened at $112.06 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $105.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $99.25. Walker & Dunlop has a 12 month low of $62.51 and a 12 month high of $116.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.90 and a beta of 1.55.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The financial services provider reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.16 by $0.07. Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 9.65% and a net margin of 8.41%. The business had revenue of $270.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $274.50 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.98 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Walker & Dunlop will post 5.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walker & Dunlop Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 22nd. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.32%. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio is currently 94.89%.

Insider Activity at Walker & Dunlop

In related news, COO Stephen P. Theobald sold 13,870 shares of Walker & Dunlop stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.10, for a total value of $1,471,607.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 53,869 shares in the company, valued at $5,715,500.90. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 5.47% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Walker & Dunlop

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. National Bank of Canada FI raised its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 205.6% in the second quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 275 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Walker & Dunlop in the first quarter valued at $34,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. raised its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 163.6% in the first quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 398 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 247 shares in the last quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Walker & Dunlop in the first quarter valued at $57,000. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC acquired a new stake in Walker & Dunlop in the second quarter valued at $94,000. 80.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.