Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) Sets New 12-Month Low – Should You Sell?

Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) shares hit a new 52-week low on Monday . The stock traded as low as $39.43 and last traded at $39.58, with a volume of 55400 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $40.22.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Citizens Jmp dropped their price target on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $70.00 to $55.00 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $63.00 to $57.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Citigroup reissued a “market outperform” rating on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. Wall Street Zen lowered Walker & Dunlop from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Walker & Dunlop from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walker & Dunlop presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $64.00.

Walker & Dunlop Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $1.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.44 and a beta of 1.49. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $48.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $50.17.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $306.69 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $337.37 million. Walker & Dunlop had a net margin of 2.94% and a return on equity of 7.25%. The business’s revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.15 earnings per share.

Walker & Dunlop Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a dividend of $0.68 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.7%. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio is presently 242.86%.

Institutional Trading of Walker & Dunlop

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WD. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Walker & Dunlop during the 2nd quarter worth about $289,614,000. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 7,135.4% in the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 2,099,988 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $114,869,000 after purchasing an additional 2,070,964 shares in the last quarter. Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the 2nd quarter valued at about $63,434,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the 2nd quarter valued at about $20,437,000. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $15,147,000. 80.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Walker & Dunlop Company Profile

Walker & Dunlop is one of the largest providers of commercial real estate finance in the United States, specializing in the origination, servicing and sale of loans secured by multifamily, seniors housing, healthcare, student housing and manufactured housing properties. The firm offers a full suite of debt and equity solutions, including agency financing through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, HUD and FHA-insured loans, bridge and construction financing, mezzanine debt, preferred equity, and investment sales advisory.

With roots dating back to 1937 and its headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland, Walker & Dunlop has expanded its platform through both organic growth and strategic acquisitions.