Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) Stock

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) had its price objective lifted by investment analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $95.00 to $97.00 in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “outperform” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ target price would indicate a potential upside of 18.97% from the company’s current price.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on WD. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Walker & Dunlop from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Finally, 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. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Walker & Dunlop currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $94.25.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Performance

Walker & Dunlop stock opened at $81.53 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $2.78 billion, a PE ratio of 25.16 and a beta of 1.59. Walker & Dunlop has a one year low of $64.48 and a one year high of $118.19. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $83.59 and a 200 day moving average of $76.90.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last posted 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). The firm had revenue of $319.24 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $275.84 million. Walker & Dunlop had a net margin of 9.27% and a return on equity of 8.81%. The firm’s revenue was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.23 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Walker & Dunlop will post 4.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Paula A. Pryor sold 5,336 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.20, for a total transaction of $459,963.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 9,341 shares in the company, valued at approximately $805,194.20. This trade represents a 36.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 3.66% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Walker & Dunlop

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. First Horizon Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in Walker & Dunlop during the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 115.8% during the second 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 during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 65.7% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 479 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio bought a new position in Walker & Dunlop during the first quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.97% of the company’s stock.

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.