191,123 Shares in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. $WD Bought by Bank of New York Mellon Corp

Key Points

• Bank of New York Mellon acquired 191,123 shares of Walker & Dunlop worth approximately $10.45 million, representing a 0.56% stake. Institutional investors collectively own 80.97% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains mostly positive, with five Buy ratings and one Sell rating and an average price target of $64, although several firms recently lowered their targets.
• Walker & Dunlop reported quarterly EPS of $1.19, beating estimates of $0.90, while revenue fell 3.9% year over year to $306.69 million. The company declared a $0.68 quarterly dividend, equating to a 6.8% yield, though its payout ratio is high at 242.86%.

Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 191,123 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $10,454,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned 0.56% of Walker & Dunlop as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in Walker & Dunlop in the 2nd quarter worth about $15,147,000. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 75.2% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 477,737 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $21,202,000 after acquiring an additional 204,979 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP raised its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 238.2% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 284,067 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $23,754,000 after acquiring an additional 200,074 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 568.4% in the fourth quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 181,627 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $10,925,000 after acquiring an additional 154,455 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $8,526,000. 80.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on WD. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on Walker & Dunlop from $63.00 to $57.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Citigroup restated a "market outperform" rating on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Walker & Dunlop from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 29th. Citizens Jmp dropped their target price on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $70.00 to $55.00 and set a "market outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Walker & Dunlop from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. 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 data from MarketBeat, Walker & Dunlop has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $64.00.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Performance

NYSE:WD opened at $40.13 on Thursday. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a one year low of $39.01 and a one year high of $90.00. The stock has a market cap of $1.38 billion, a PE ratio of 35.83 and a beta of 1.45. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $47.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $49.23.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.29. Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 7.25% and a net margin of 2.94%.The company had revenue of $306.69 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $337.37 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.15 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year.

Walker & Dunlop Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a dividend of $0.68 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.8%. Walker & Dunlop's payout ratio is presently 242.86%.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source