Alyeska Investment Group L.P. Purchases Shares of 85,339 Walker & Dunlop, Inc. $WD

Key Points

• Alyeska Investment Group L.P. made a significant investment of $7.29 million in Walker & Dunlop, Inc., acquiring approximately 85,339 shares, which accounts for around 0.25% of the company's total shares as of the end of the first quarter.
• The stock of Walker & Dunlop has shown a 1-year performance range between a low of $64.48 and a high of $118.19, currently trading around $87.31.
• Walker & Dunlop recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.67 per share, yielding 3.1%, with a dividend payout ratio of 82.72%.

Alyeska Investment Group L.P. bought a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 85,339 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $7,285,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. owned approximately 0.25% of Walker & Dunlop at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Walker & Dunlop in the first quarter worth about $27,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the first quarter valued at $32,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 90.5% in the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 383 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 122.0% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 444 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI raised its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 81.9% during the 1st quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 724 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 326 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.97% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Paula A. Pryor sold 5,336 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.20, for a total value of $459,963.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 9,341 shares in the company, valued at approximately $805,194.20. This represents a 36.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 3.66% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WD has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Walker & Dunlop from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Wedbush reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $90.00 price objective on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $92.50.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Performance

Shares of Walker & Dunlop stock traded up $1.50 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $86.74. 95,830 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 241,539. The stock has a market cap of $2.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.77 and a beta of 1.59. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $79.39 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $77.11. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a twelve month low of $64.48 and a twelve month high of $118.19.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.15 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.29 by ($0.14). The firm had revenue of $319.24 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $275.84 million. Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 8.81% and a net margin of 9.27%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.23 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walker & Dunlop Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 21st were issued a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 21st. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. Walker & Dunlop's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 82.72%.

About Walker & Dunlop

Walker & Dunlop, Inc is a holding company, which engages in the provision of commercial real estate and finance services. It operates through the following segments: Capital Markets, Servicing and Asset Management, and Corporate. The Capital Markets segment offers a comprehensive range of commercial real estate finance products to customers.