Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) Receives $64.00 Consensus Price Target from Brokerages

Shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $64.00.

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Wall Street Zen raised Walker & Dunlop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 29th. Citizens Jmp decreased their price objective on Walker & Dunlop from $70.00 to $55.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Weiss Ratings lowered Walker & Dunlop from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on Walker & Dunlop from $63.00 to $57.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 7th.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Performance

WD stock opened at $42.69 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $46.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $48.96. Walker & Dunlop has a fifty-two week low of $39.01 and a fifty-two week high of $90.00. The firm has a market cap of $1.47 billion, a PE ratio of 38.12 and a beta of 1.45.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last released its quarterly 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. Walker & Dunlop had a net margin of 2.94% and a return on equity of 7.25%. The company had revenue of $306.69 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $337.37 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.15 earnings per share. Walker & Dunlop’s revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis.

Walker & Dunlop Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th were paid a dividend of $0.68 per share. This represents a $2.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 20th. Walker & Dunlop’s payout ratio is presently 242.86%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walker & Dunlop

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WD. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Walker & Dunlop in the 2nd quarter valued at $289,614,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the second quarter worth $4,318,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 1,401.9% during the fourth quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 68,846 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,141,000 after purchasing an additional 64,262 shares during the period. Ieq Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the second quarter valued at $2,640,000. Finally, Royce & Associates LP grew its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 12.2% in the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 545,558 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $32,815,000 after purchasing an additional 59,465 shares during the last quarter. 80.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.