Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) Shares Sold by Maryland State Retirement & Pension System

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System trimmed its stake in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) by 12.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,361 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,384 shares during the quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in Walker & Dunlop were worth $799,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WD. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 26.1% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 764 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in Walker & Dunlop by 90.5% during the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 383 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the period. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. grew its position in Walker & Dunlop by 5.9% during the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 3,362 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $327,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares during the period. Mariner LLC grew its position in Walker & Dunlop by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 4,886 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $475,000 after acquiring an additional 213 shares during the period. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC grew its position in Walker & Dunlop by 122.0% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 444 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 244 shares during the period. 80.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walker & Dunlop Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WD opened at $83.34 on Wednesday. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 1-year low of $64.48 and a 1-year high of $118.19. The business has a 50-day moving average of $73.04 and a 200-day moving average of $78.03. The company has a market capitalization of $2.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.72 and a beta of 1.57.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.15 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.29 by ($0.14). Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 8.81% and a net margin of 9.27%. The company had revenue of $319.24 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $275.84 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.23 EPS. Walker & Dunlop’s quarterly revenue was up 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walker & Dunlop Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 21st will be given a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 21st. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio is presently 82.72%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on WD. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on Walker & Dunlop from $105.00 to $95.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Wall Street Zen raised Walker & Dunlop from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday.

About Walker & Dunlop

Walker & Dunlop, Inc is a holding company, which engages in the provision of commercial real estate and finance services. It operates through the following segments: Capital Markets, Servicing and Asset Management, and Corporate. The Capital Markets segment offers a comprehensive range of commercial real estate finance products to customers.