Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) Reaches New 12-Month Low – What’s Next?

Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) shares hit a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $59.83 and last traded at $60.09, with a volume of 160317 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $60.80.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Citizens Jmp upgraded shares of Walker & Dunlop from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $95.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $95.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. JMP Securities set a $95.00 price objective on Walker & Dunlop and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Walker & Dunlop from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Walker & Dunlop presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $90.40.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $2.05 billion, a PE ratio of 17.83 and a beta of 1.58. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $67.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $75.21.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $337.68 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $325.10 million. Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 8.85% and a net margin of 9.31%.Walker & Dunlop’s revenue was up 15.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.19 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 21st. Walker & Dunlop’s payout ratio is presently 79.53%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walker & Dunlop

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,743,034 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $312,993,000 after acquiring an additional 16,392 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 10.4% in the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,198,071 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $100,183,000 after purchasing an additional 113,282 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Walker & Dunlop by 2.9% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 771,212 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $54,361,000 after purchasing an additional 21,446 shares during the last quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. lifted its position in Walker & Dunlop by 147.7% during the third quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 537,338 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $44,932,000 after purchasing an additional 320,425 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Royce & Associates LP grew its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 12.6% in the 3rd quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 486,093 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $40,647,000 after buying an additional 54,344 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.97% of the company’s stock.

About Walker & Dunlop

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.