Capitolis Liquid Global Markets LLC Acquires Shares of 31,700 Walker & Dunlop, Inc. $WD

Capitolis Liquid Global Markets LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 31,700 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,651,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 49.0% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 303,242 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,357,000 after purchasing an additional 99,658 shares during the last quarter. Thornburg Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 34.5% in the 3rd quarter. Thornburg Investment Management Inc. now owns 159,641 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $13,349,000 after buying an additional 40,907 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 19.8% during the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 114,441 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $9,570,000 after buying an additional 18,950 shares in the last quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP boosted its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 151.4% in the 3rd quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 18,113 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,515,000 after buying an additional 10,908 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,422,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on WD shares. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Walker & Dunlop in a report on Friday, December 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $75.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered Walker & Dunlop from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $80.00 to $65.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $81.25.

Walker & Dunlop Trading Down 2.6%

Walker & Dunlop stock opened at $45.04 on Monday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $59.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $69.01. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 12 month low of $42.12 and a 12 month high of $90.00. The company has a market cap of $1.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.47 and a beta of 1.57.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The financial services provider reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.46 by ($1.18). The firm had revenue of $340.02 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $343.66 million. Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 6.81% and a net margin of 4.56%.The business’s quarterly revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.32 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walker & Dunlop Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a $0.68 dividend. This is an increase from Walker & Dunlop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $2.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.0%. Walker & Dunlop’s payout ratio is 165.85%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Ernest Michael Freedman acquired 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $49.21 per share, for a total transaction of $246,050.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 6,097 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $300,033.37. The trade was a 455.79% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 3.66% of the company’s stock.

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.