Amundi Trims Stock Holdings in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. $WD

Key Points

• Amundi has reduced its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 5.4%, now owning 161,603 shares worth approximately $12.9 million.
• Insider selling was reported, with EVP Paula A. Pryor selling 5,336 shares at an average price of $86.20, resulting in a significant decrease in her ownership by 36.36%.
• Analysts have mixed sentiments on the stock, with ratings ranging from Strong Buy to Hold, and an average target price set at $92.50.

Amundi reduced its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD - Free Report) by 5.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 161,603 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 9,229 shares during the quarter. Amundi owned 0.48% of Walker & Dunlop worth $12,948,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WD. Deutsche Bank AG grew its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 9.4% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 102,894 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $10,002,000 after purchasing an additional 8,879 shares during the last quarter. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in Walker & Dunlop in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $909,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 18,292 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,778,000 after purchasing an additional 677 shares during the last quarter. Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP acquired a new position in Walker & Dunlop during the fourth quarter worth $637,000. Finally, Nomura Holdings Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the fourth quarter valued at $467,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.97% of the company's stock.

Walker & Dunlop Price Performance

WD stock traded down $0.81 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $85.18. 160,388 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 208,124. The company has a market capitalization of $2.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.29 and a beta of 1.58. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 52-week low of $64.48 and a 52-week high of $118.19. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $80.34 and a 200-day moving average price of $77.10.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD - Get Free Report) last posted its 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 net margin of 9.27% and a return on equity of 8.81%. The company had revenue of $319.24 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $275.84 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.23 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current year.

Walker & Dunlop Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Paula A. Pryor sold 5,336 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 29th. The stock was 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 owned 9,341 shares in the company, valued at $805,194.20. The trade was a 36.36% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 3.66% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on WD shares. Wedbush reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $90.00 target price on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Walker & Dunlop from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walker & Dunlop presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $92.50.

Walker & Dunlop Company Profile

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.