Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) Sets New 1-Year Low – Here’s What Happened

Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) shares hit a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $84.29 and last traded at $85.17, with a volume of 218590 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $86.44.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on Walker & Dunlop from $120.00 to $105.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th.

Walker & Dunlop Trading Down 1.5 %

The company has a 50 day moving average price of $95.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $103.99. The firm has a market cap of $2.88 billion, a PE ratio of 26.70 and a beta of 1.55.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The financial services provider reported $1.34 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.52 by ($0.18). The firm had revenue of $341.45 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $316.82 million. Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 9.64% and a net margin of 9.55%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walker & Dunlop Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.67 per share. This is a positive change from Walker & Dunlop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.15%. Walker & Dunlop’s payout ratio is 81.50%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walker & Dunlop

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 17.1% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 100,260 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $9,746,000 after purchasing an additional 14,647 shares during the last quarter. Twinbeech Capital LP raised its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 1,648.3% during the 4th quarter. Twinbeech Capital LP now owns 39,023 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,793,000 after purchasing an additional 36,791 shares during the last quarter. State of Wyoming acquired a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the 4th quarter worth approximately $96,000. Thornburg Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Thornburg Investment Management Inc. now owns 138,814 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $13,494,000 after purchasing an additional 971 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 36.1% during the 4th quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 2,760 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $268,000 after purchasing an additional 732 shares during 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.