GSA Capital Partners LLP Makes New $1.05 Million Investment in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. $WD

GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new stake in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor bought 19,226 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,052,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 37,828 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 8.2% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,369,114 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $60,760,000 after purchasing an additional 104,008 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 10.4% during the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,198,071 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $100,183,000 after buying an additional 113,282 shares in the last quarter. Conversant Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 33.0% during the first quarter. Conversant Capital LLC now owns 560,316 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $24,867,000 after buying an additional 138,936 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royce & Associates LP raised its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 12.2% in the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 545,558 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $32,815,000 after buying an additional 59,465 shares during the last quarter. 80.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on WD shares. Stephens initiated coverage on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $69.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Walker & Dunlop from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Walker & Dunlop from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on Walker & Dunlop from $63.00 to $57.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $74.00.

Walker & Dunlop Price Performance

Shares of WD stock opened at $40.69 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $1.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.33 and a beta of 1.49. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 1-year low of $40.38 and a 1-year high of $90.00. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $49.85 and its 200-day simple moving average is $51.13.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.29. Walker & Dunlop had a net margin of 2.94% and a return on equity of 7.25%. The business had revenue of $306.69 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $337.37 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.15 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis.

Walker & Dunlop Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a $0.68 dividend. This represents a $2.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 242.86%.

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.