Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) Sets New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $118.19 and last traded at $116.84, with a volume of 4900 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $110.89.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Walker & Dunlop Trading Up 1.8 %

The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $109.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $102.70. The company has a market cap of $3.81 billion, a PE ratio of 42.81 and a beta of 1.55.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The financial services provider reported $1.23 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $270.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $274.50 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.98 earnings per share. Walker & Dunlop’s quarterly revenue was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walker & Dunlop

In other Walker & Dunlop news, COO Stephen P. Theobald sold 13,870 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief operating officer now owns 53,869 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,715,500.90. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 5.26% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walker & Dunlop

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WD. National Bank of Canada FI increased its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 185 shares during the period. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the 1st quarter worth $34,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 1,295.8% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 335 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 311 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. raised its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 44.5% during the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 575 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Walker & Dunlop in the first quarter valued at about $57,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.97% of the company’s stock.

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.