Comerica Bank Boosts Stock Holdings in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. $WD

Comerica Bank boosted its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) by 5.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,020 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 635 shares during the period. Comerica Bank’s holdings in Walker & Dunlop were worth $1,026,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 437,665 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $42,545,000 after purchasing an additional 26,461 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG grew its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 9.4% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 102,894 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $10,002,000 after purchasing an additional 8,879 shares in the last quarter. FJ Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,413,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,845,100 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $179,355,000 after purchasing an additional 8,571 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $909,000. 80.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Performance

WD opened at $87.31 on Friday. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a one year low of $64.48 and a one year high of $118.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.97 billion, a PE ratio of 26.95 and a beta of 1.59. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $78.81 and its 200 day moving average price is $77.14.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.15 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.29 by ($0.14). Walker & Dunlop had a net margin of 9.27% and a return on equity of 8.81%. The business had revenue of $319.24 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $275.84 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.23 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walker & Dunlop Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 21st were issued a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 21st. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio is currently 82.72%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Paula A. Pryor sold 5,336 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.20, for a total value of $459,963.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 9,341 shares in the company, valued at approximately $805,194.20. This represents a 36.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 3.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on WD shares. Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $90.00 price target on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Walker & Dunlop from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $92.50.

Walker & Dunlop Profile

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.