Verdence Capital Advisors LLC Boosts Stake in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. $WD

Verdence Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) by 29.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 53,932 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,405 shares during the quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Walker & Dunlop were worth $4,604,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WD. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 115.8% during the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 479 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 257 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 65.7% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 479 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the period. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the first quarter worth about $51,000. CWM LLC raised its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 261.6% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,338 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $112,000 after purchasing an additional 968 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC boosted its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 18.8% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 2,905 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $205,000 after buying an additional 459 shares during the last quarter. 80.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WD. Wall Street Zen downgraded Walker & Dunlop from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Walker & Dunlop in a report on Friday, December 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $75.00 price objective on the stock. JMP Securities set a $95.00 target price on shares of Walker & Dunlop and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $87.00.

Walker & Dunlop Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of WD stock opened at $65.41 on Tuesday. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a twelve month low of $58.60 and a twelve month high of $97.70. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $62.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $74.50. The stock has a market cap of $2.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.41 and a beta of 1.56.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $337.68 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $325.10 million. Walker & Dunlop had a net margin of 9.31% and a return on equity of 8.85%. Walker & Dunlop’s revenue was up 15.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.19 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current year.

Walker & Dunlop Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 5th. Investors of record on Friday, November 21st were given a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 21st. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio is presently 79.53%.

Walker & Dunlop Profile

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.