Louisiana State Employees Retirement System boosted its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD – Free Report) by 14.0% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,300 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,000 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Walker & Dunlop were worth $1,289,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WD. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 5.7% in the 1st quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 2,145 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $262,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 28,424 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,678,000 after purchasing an additional 465 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 47.8% in the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 15,223 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,970,000 after purchasing an additional 4,925 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 79,654 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $10,309,000 after purchasing an additional 1,846 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Great West Life Assurance Co. Can boosted its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 26,233 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,482,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. 77.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wedbush lifted their target price on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $90.00 to $105.00 in a research report on Friday, August 4th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Walker & Dunlop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 27th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $102.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Tuesday.
Walker & Dunlop Stock Performance
Walker & Dunlop stock opened at $68.76 on Thursday. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 52-week low of $61.06 and a 52-week high of $101.02. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $82.69 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $77.97. The firm has a market cap of $2.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.18 and a beta of 1.44.
Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 3rd. The financial services provider reported $0.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.06 by ($0.08). Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 9.73% and a net margin of 12.85%. The firm had revenue of $272.62 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $257.99 million. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 4.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Walker & Dunlop Dividend Announcement
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 17th were issued a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 16th. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.66%. Walker & Dunlop’s payout ratio is 59.29%.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other Walker & Dunlop news, President Howard W. Smith III sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.13, for a total transaction of $1,622,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now owns 197,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,982,610. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Paula A. Pryor sold 1,135 shares of Walker & Dunlop stock in a transaction on Friday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.00, for a total value of $99,880.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 7,426 shares in the company, valued at approximately $653,488. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, President Howard W. Smith III sold 20,000 shares of Walker & Dunlop stock in a transaction on Friday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.13, for a total transaction of $1,622,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president now owns 197,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,982,610. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 58,084 shares of company stock worth $4,846,409. 5.47% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
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. The company offers first mortgage, second trust, supplemental, construction, mezzanine, preferred equity, and small-balance loans.
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