Circle Internet Group (NYSE:CRCL – Get Free Report) and Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD – Get Free Report) are both finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, earnings, risk, profitability, dividends, analyst recommendations and valuation.
Institutional and Insider Ownership
81.0% of Walker & Dunlop shares are owned by institutional investors. 10.8% of Circle Internet Group shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 4.0% of Walker & Dunlop shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.
Earnings & Valuation
This table compares Circle Internet Group and Walker & Dunlop”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Circle Internet Group | $2.75 billion | 6.66 | -$69.51 million | $1.46 | 49.38 |
| Walker & Dunlop | $1.29 billion | 0.95 | $57.08 million | $1.12 | 31.85 |
Walker & Dunlop has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Circle Internet Group. Walker & Dunlop is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Circle Internet Group, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Volatility & Risk
Circle Internet Group has a beta of 0.73, suggesting that its stock price is 27% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Walker & Dunlop has a beta of 1.52, suggesting that its stock price is 52% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a summary of current ratings and recommmendations for Circle Internet Group and Walker & Dunlop, as reported by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Circle Internet Group | 4 | 8 | 10 | 2 | 2.42 |
| Walker & Dunlop | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2.67 |
Circle Internet Group currently has a consensus target price of $97.94, suggesting a potential upside of 35.84%. Walker & Dunlop has a consensus target price of $59.75, suggesting a potential upside of 67.50%. Given Walker & Dunlop’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Walker & Dunlop is more favorable than Circle Internet Group.
Profitability
This table compares Circle Internet Group and Walker & Dunlop’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Circle Internet Group | 15.53% | 13.58% | 0.58% |
| Walker & Dunlop | 2.94% | 7.25% | 2.31% |
Summary
Circle Internet Group beats Walker & Dunlop on 9 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Circle Internet Group
Founded in 2013, Circle’s mission is to raise global economic prosperity through the frictionless exchange of value. We intend to connect the world more deeply by building a new global economic system on the foundation of the internet, and to facilitate the creation of a world where everyone, everywhere can share value as easily as we can today share information, content, and communications. Since inception, we have relentlessly pursued our mission and vision, building fundamental technology for the internet financial system. We have forged paths toward mainstream acceptance through persistent and active engagement with policymakers and regulators globally, and have seen institutional and consumer knowledge and acceptance of internet-native financial assets approach critical mass. Large and influential players in the incumbent financial services system are increasingly embracing digital assets broadly and stablecoins specifically. Circle’s innovative products reach tens of millions of end-users, power thousands of businesses, and, as of March 31, 2025, USDC has been used for more than $25 trillion in onchain transactions. While we have made strong progress in our pursuit of our mission and vision over the past decade, we believe the internet financial system is in its infancy with decades of growth and innovation ahead. Our principal executive office is located in New York, NY.
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. The Servicing and Asset Management segment includes servicing and asset-managing and managing third-party capital investments. The Corporate segment consists primarily of the company’s treasury operations and other corporate-level activities. The company was founded by Oliver Walker and Laird Dunlop in 1937 and is headquartered in Bethesda, MD.
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