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. purchased a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 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 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kestra Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Walker & Dunlop by 1.2% during the first quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 12,426 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,061,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 26.1% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 764 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $65,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 90.5% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 383 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 244 shares during the period. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.97% of the company's stock.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Performance

WD stock traded up $1.18 on Thursday, reaching $87.31. The company had a trading volume of 221,964 shares, compared to its average volume of 209,990. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 1 year low of $64.48 and a 1 year high of $118.19. The company's fifty day moving average is $79.87 and its 200 day moving average is $77.21. The company has a market cap of $2.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.95 and a beta of 1.59.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.15 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.29 by ($0.14). Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 8.81% and a net margin of 9.27%.The company had revenue of $319.24 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $275.84 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.23 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Walker & Dunlop Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Walker & Dunlop from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Wedbush restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $90.00 price target on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $92.50.

Insider Activity

In other Walker & Dunlop news, EVP Paula A. Pryor sold 5,336 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.20, for a total transaction of $459,963.20. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 9,341 shares of the company's stock, valued at $805,194.20. This trade represents a 36.36% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 3.66% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.