Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Buys Shares of 15,100 Walker & Dunlop, Inc. $WD

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 15,100 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $670,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,496,711 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $90,027,000 after purchasing an additional 37,828 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,265,106 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $76,097,000 after acquiring an additional 17,846 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 10.4% in the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,198,071 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $100,183,000 after acquiring an additional 113,282 shares during the last quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. increased its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 59.9% in the 4th quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 859,072 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $51,673,000 after acquiring an additional 321,734 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Royce & Associates LP raised its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 12.2% in the 4th quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 545,558 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $32,815,000 after acquiring an additional 59,465 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.97% of the company’s stock.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE WD traded up $0.20 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $52.84. 2,065 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 331,957. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $51.89 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $54.19. The company has a market capitalization of $1.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.16 and a beta of 1.48. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 52-week low of $42.12 and a 52-week high of $90.00.

Walker & Dunlop Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st were paid a $0.68 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $2.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.1%. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio is 134.65%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on WD. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $65.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Walker & Dunlop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Stephens assumed coverage on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $69.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Walker & Dunlop from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.