Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) Stock Price Target Cut by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

Key Points

• Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered Walker & Dunlop’s price target from $45 to $43 while maintaining an “outperform” rating, implying approximately 20.55% upside from the reported $35.67 share price.
• Analyst sentiment remains generally positive: five analysts rate the stock a Buy and one rates it a Sell, producing a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and average target price of $59.25.
• Walker & Dunlop exceeded quarterly EPS expectations ($1.19 versus $0.90) but missed revenue estimates, reporting $306.69 million as revenue declined 3.9% year over year; institutional investors own about 80.97% of the stock.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD - Get Free Report) had its price target decreased by equities research analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $45.00 to $43.00 in a report released on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "outperform" rating on the financial services provider's stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods's target price points to a potential upside of 20.55% from the company's current price.

WD has been the topic of several other reports. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Walker & Dunlop from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. Citigroup restated a "market outperform" rating on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research note on Friday, October 16th. Citizens Jmp reduced their price target on Walker & Dunlop from $55.00 to $50.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Walker & Dunlop from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 29th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $59.25.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Up 2.5%

Shares of WD opened at $35.67 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $1.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.85 and a beta of 1.52. The company's fifty day moving average is $36.82 and its 200-day moving average is $47.91. Walker & Dunlop has a 12 month low of $31.40 and a 12 month high of $81.11.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $306.69 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $337.37 million. Walker & Dunlop had a net margin of 2.94% and a return on equity of 7.25%. Walker & Dunlop's quarterly revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.15 earnings per share.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walker & Dunlop

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. CenterBook Partners LP bought a new stake in Walker & Dunlop during the third quarter worth $6,795,000. ARGA Investment Management LP increased its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 95.2% during the 3rd quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 69,535 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,441,000 after purchasing an additional 33,906 shares during the last quarter. State of Wyoming purchased a new position in Walker & Dunlop in the third quarter valued at approximately $106,000. Choreo LLC grew its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 53.0% during the third quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 8,775 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $308,000 after purchasing an additional 3,039 shares during the period. Finally, Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 108.2% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,070 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 556 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.97% of the company's stock.

About Walker & Dunlop

Walker & Dunlop, Inc is a commercial real estate finance and advisory firm serving property owners, investors and developers across the United States. The company provides financing, investment sales, valuation, research and advisory services for a broad range of commercial real estate assets, including multifamily, office, industrial, retail, hospitality and senior housing properties.

Its financing business arranges debt and equity solutions through relationships with banks, life insurance companies, government-sponsored enterprises and other capital providers.

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