Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) Hits New 52-Week Low – What’s Next?

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Walker & Dunlop from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $105.00 target price for the company in a report on Thursday, March 6th.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Down 2.4 %

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

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

Walker & Dunlop Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO William M. Walker bought 17,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The stock was acquired at an average price 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 3.66% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walker & Dunlop

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the fourth quarter worth about $40,226,000. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P purchased a new position in Walker & Dunlop during the 4th quarter worth approximately $17,384,000. Granite Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in Walker & Dunlop during the fourth quarter worth approximately $13,338,000. M.D. Sass LLC increased its position in Walker & Dunlop by 57.4% during the fourth quarter. M.D. Sass LLC now owns 264,855 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,747,000 after buying an additional 96,563 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 7.4% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,318,599 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $128,181,000 after buying an additional 90,725 shares during the last quarter. 80.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.