Walker & Dunlop, Inc. $WD Shares Acquired by New Age Alpha Advisors LLC

New Age Alpha Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) by 1,401.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 68,846 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 64,262 shares during the period. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC’s holdings in Walker & Dunlop were worth $4,141,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WD. Legato Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Walker & Dunlop during the fourth quarter worth approximately $704,000. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 6,425 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $386,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 48.4% during the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 30,050 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,808,000 after purchasing an additional 9,805 shares during the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 216.7% during the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 9,792 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $589,000 after purchasing an additional 6,700 shares during the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd lifted its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 32.6% during the fourth quarter. R Squared Ltd now owns 3,978 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $239,000 after purchasing an additional 979 shares during the last quarter. 80.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walker & Dunlop Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE WD opened at $50.43 on Tuesday. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a twelve month low of $42.12 and a twelve month high of $90.00. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $48.40 and a two-hundred day moving average of $56.88. The stock has a market cap of $1.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.97 and a beta of 1.52.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The financial services provider reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.46 by ($1.18). Walker & Dunlop had a net margin of 5.29% and a return on equity of 7.18%. The firm had revenue of $340.02 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $343.66 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.32 EPS. Walker & Dunlop’s quarterly revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year.

Walker & Dunlop Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a $0.68 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $2.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.4%. Walker & Dunlop’s payout ratio is currently 134.65%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Ernest Michael Freedman acquired 5,000 shares of Walker & Dunlop stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was bought at an average price of $49.21 per share, for a total transaction of $246,050.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 6,097 shares in the company, valued at $300,033.37. This represents a 455.79% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Dana L. Schmaltz acquired 1,000 shares of Walker & Dunlop stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $45.78 per share, with a total value of $45,780.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 84,325 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,860,398.50. The trade was a 1.20% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 4.02% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Walker & Dunlop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Walker & Dunlop from $65.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Stephens assumed coverage on Walker & Dunlop in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $69.00 target price for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Walker & Dunlop from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $79.20.

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.