Bank of New York Mellon Corp Sells 162,693 Shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. $WD

Key Points

• Bank of New York Mellon cut its Walker & Dunlop stake by 46.5% in the first quarter, selling 162,693 shares and retaining 186,818 shares valued at approximately $8.3 million.
• Institutional investors and hedge funds own about 80.97% of Walker & Dunlop, with several firms—including DePrince Race & Zollo, Two Sigma and Jane Street—substantially increasing their positions.
• Analyst sentiment remains generally positive, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $79.20 versus the stock’s reported price of $49.58; the company also offers a 5.5% dividend yield.

Bank of New York Mellon Corp trimmed its stake in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD - Free Report) by 46.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 186,818 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 162,693 shares during the quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned about 0.54% of Walker & Dunlop worth $8,291,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. grew its position in Walker & Dunlop by 59.9% in the 4th quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 859,072 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $51,673,000 after purchasing an additional 321,734 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in Walker & Dunlop during the second quarter worth $15,147,000. Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 238.2% in 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 buying an additional 200,074 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 568.4% during 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 buying an additional 154,455 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the fourth quarter valued at about $8,526,000. 80.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on WD. Stephens initiated coverage on Walker & Dunlop in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. They set an "overweight" rating and a $69.00 price objective on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Walker & Dunlop from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $65.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Walker & Dunlop from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $79.20.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Performance

Shares of WD opened at $49.58 on Monday. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 52-week low of $42.12 and a 52-week high of $90.00. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $50.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $52.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.54 and a beta of 1.49.

Walker & Dunlop Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st were paid a $0.68 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $2.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.5%. Walker & Dunlop's dividend payout ratio is 134.65%.

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.

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