Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) to Issue $0.68 Quarterly Dividend

Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) announced a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, August 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a dividend of 0.68 per share by the financial services provider on Thursday, September 3rd. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th.

Walker & Dunlop has raised its dividend by an average of 0.1%annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend annually for the last 7 consecutive years. Walker & Dunlop has a payout ratio of 61.5% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WD traded down $7.15 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $44.24. 1,582,016 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 331,039. The stock has a market cap of $1.52 billion, a PE ratio of 21.90 and a beta of 1.49. The company’s fifty day moving average is $51.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $52.34. Walker & Dunlop has a fifty-two week low of $41.38 and a fifty-two week high of $90.00.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.29. Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 7.18% and a net margin of 5.29%.The firm had revenue of $306.69 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $337.37 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.15 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis.

Institutional Trading of Walker & Dunlop

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,496,711 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $90,027,000 after buying an additional 37,828 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Walker & Dunlop by 8.2% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,369,114 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $60,760,000 after buying an additional 104,008 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 10.4% during the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,198,071 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $100,183,000 after acquiring an additional 113,282 shares during the period. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. increased its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 59.9% during the fourth quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 859,072 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $51,673,000 after acquiring an additional 321,734 shares during the period. Finally, Conversant Capital LLC raised its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 33.0% in the 1st quarter. Conversant Capital LLC now owns 560,316 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $24,867,000 after acquiring an additional 138,936 shares in the last quarter. 80.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Walker & Dunlop

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.