Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) Sets New 1-Year Low – Time to Sell?

Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) shares reached a new 52-week low during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $86.89 and last traded at $86.98, with a volume of 104587 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $92.24.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on WD. Wedbush lifted their price objective on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Walker & Dunlop to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th.

Walker & Dunlop Trading Down 5.4 %

The stock’s 50-day moving average is $104.47 and its 200-day moving average is $105.40. The stock has a market cap of $2.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.18 and a beta of 1.55.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.29 by ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $292.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $294.24 million. Walker & Dunlop had a net margin of 8.91% and a return on equity of 9.81%. Walker & Dunlop’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.11 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 5.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walker & Dunlop Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 22nd were paid a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 22nd. Walker & Dunlop’s payout ratio is currently 92.86%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walker & Dunlop

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of WD. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,434,370 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $162,930,000 after buying an additional 18,461 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 33.1% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,415,479 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $160,784,000 after acquiring an additional 351,957 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 1.6% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,319,434 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $129,566,000 after purchasing an additional 20,739 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 48.7% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,227,874 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $139,474,000 after acquiring an additional 402,313 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 0.7% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 451,207 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $51,253,000 after acquiring an additional 3,099 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.97% of the company’s stock.

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.