Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) Releases Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.10 EPS

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) posted its earnings results on Thursday. The financial services provider reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.29 by ($0.10), Briefing.com reports. The firm had revenue of $292.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $294.24 million. Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 9.65% and a net margin of 8.41%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.11 EPS.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Performance

Walker & Dunlop stock opened at $111.80 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.17 and a beta of 1.55. Walker & Dunlop has a 52-week low of $68.88 and a 52-week high of $118.19. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $110.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $102.96.

Walker & Dunlop Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 22nd. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio is presently 100.39%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walker & Dunlop news, COO Stephen P. Theobald sold 13,870 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.10, for a total transaction of $1,471,607.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 53,869 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,715,500.90. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 5.47% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on WD. Wolfe Research raised Walker & Dunlop to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. StockNews.com raised Walker & Dunlop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, August 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Walker & Dunlop from $105.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Wedbush boosted their price target on Walker & Dunlop from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th.

About Walker & Dunlop

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.