Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) Upgraded to “Strong-Buy” at Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) to a strong-buy rating in a research note released on Friday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Citizens Jmp upgraded Walker & Dunlop from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $95.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, October 10th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $95.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Walker & Dunlop from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “market outperform” rating on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research report on Friday, December 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $90.40.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Performance

Shares of WD stock opened at $60.17 on Friday. Walker & Dunlop has a 52-week low of $60.05 and a 52-week high of $99.21. The stock has a market cap of $2.05 billion, a PE ratio of 17.85 and a beta of 1.58. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $70.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $75.52.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.01. The company 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%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.19 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Walker & Dunlop will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walker & Dunlop Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 21st were issued a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 21st. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 79.53%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walker & Dunlop

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in WD. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in Walker & Dunlop by 115.8% in the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 479 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 257 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 65.7% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 479 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank raised its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 49.6% in the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 585 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares during the period. Strs Ohio bought a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the first quarter valued at about $51,000. Finally, BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S bought a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the first quarter valued at about $112,000. Institutional investors own 80.97% of the company’s stock.

Walker & Dunlop Company 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.