Analysts Set Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) Target Price at $94.25

Shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $94.25.

A number of analysts have issued reports on WD shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on Walker & Dunlop from $95.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. JMP Securities set a $95.00 price objective on Walker & Dunlop and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Walker & Dunlop from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday. Finally, Citizens Jmp upgraded shares of Walker & Dunlop from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $95.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 10th.

Walker & Dunlop Price Performance

Walker & Dunlop stock opened at $69.35 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $82.91 and its 200 day moving average is $77.36. Walker & Dunlop has a one year low of $64.48 and a one year high of $114.04. The firm has a market cap of $2.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.40 and a beta of 1.66.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $337.68 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $325.10 million. Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 8.81% and a net margin of 9.27%.The firm’s revenue was up 15.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.19 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Walker & Dunlop will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walker & Dunlop Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 21st will be given a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 21st. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio is currently 79.53%.

Insider Transactions at Walker & Dunlop

In related news, EVP Paula A. Pryor sold 5,336 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.20, for a total transaction of $459,963.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 9,341 shares in the company, valued at approximately $805,194.20. This represents a 36.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 3.66% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walker & Dunlop

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WD. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Walker & Dunlop by 26.1% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 764 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the first quarter valued at about $219,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas purchased a new stake in Walker & Dunlop during the 1st quarter worth approximately $421,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 160,069 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $13,663,000 after purchasing an additional 3,805 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.97% of the company’s stock.

Walker & Dunlop Company Profile

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.