American Century Companies Inc. Sells 92,571 Shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. $WD

Key Points

• American Century Companies Inc. reduced its stake in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. by 20.2%, holding approximately 1.08% of the company, valued at around $31.2 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• Walker & Dunlop reported earnings of $1.15 per share for the last quarter, falling short of expectations, although it experienced a 17.9% year-over-year increase in revenue.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.67, with a dividend yield of 3.3%, as it continues to maintain an 82.72% payout ratio.

American Century Companies Inc. cut its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD - Free Report) by 20.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 365,523 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 92,571 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned about 1.08% of Walker & Dunlop worth $31,201,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WD. First Horizon Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the first quarter worth $27,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 456.4% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 306 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 251 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the first quarter worth $32,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 90.5% in the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 383 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 122.0% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 444 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares during the last quarter. 80.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Up 1.6%

WD traded up $1.38 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $86.90. 213,114 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 282,546. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.96 billion, a PE ratio of 26.82 and a beta of 1.57. The stock's 50-day moving average is $76.63 and its 200 day moving average is $77.35. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 12 month low of $64.48 and a 12 month high of $118.19.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $275.84 million. Walker & Dunlop had a net margin of 9.27% and a return on equity of 8.81%. The business's revenue was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.23 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current year.

Walker & Dunlop Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wedbush reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $90.00 price objective on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Walker & Dunlop from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $92.50.

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.