Castleark Management LLC Invests $4.30 Million in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD)

Castleark Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 42,520 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $4,297,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WD. Spinnaker Investment Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 380.9% during the 4th quarter. Spinnaker Investment Group LLC now owns 13,841 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,536,000 after purchasing an additional 10,963 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System raised its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 9,321 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,035,000 after acquiring an additional 303 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Walker & Dunlop in the 4th quarter valued at $1,479,000. Arkadios Wealth Advisors bought a new stake in Walker & Dunlop in the 4th quarter valued at $205,000. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 14,579 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,618,000 after acquiring an additional 539 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.97% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WD. StockNews.com upgraded Walker & Dunlop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Wedbush reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $95.00 price objective on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on Walker & Dunlop from $105.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th.

Walker & Dunlop Trading Down 3.2 %

WD stock traded down $3.40 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $103.50. 59,919 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 213,782. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.20 and a beta of 1.55. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $98.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $96.39. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 12 month low of $62.51 and a 12 month high of $113.67.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The financial services provider reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.36. The firm had revenue of $228.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $251.82 million. Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 9.16% and a net margin of 8.87%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.17 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 5.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Walker & Dunlop

In other news, EVP Paula A. Pryor sold 4,533 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.33, for a total transaction of $441,196.89. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,227 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $898,063.91. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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. It operates through three segments: Capital Markets, Servicing & Asset Management, and Corporate.