BNP Paribas Financial Markets Decreases Position in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets decreased its holdings in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD - Free Report) by 69.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,162 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 9,505 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets' holdings in Walker & Dunlop were worth $405,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WD. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 456.4% during 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 in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Walker & Dunlop by 230.8% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 751 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 524 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV raised its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 33.6% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,607 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $156,000 after buying an additional 404 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in Walker & Dunlop during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $178,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 42.9% during the fourth quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 2,000 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $194,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. 80.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO William M. Walker purchased 17,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $86.21 per share, with a total value of $1,508,675.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 411,271 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,455,672.91. This trade represents a 4.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 3.66% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Performance

WD traded down $0.32 during trading on Friday, reaching $68.69. 11,052 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 198,840. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 12-month low of $64.48 and a 12-month high of $118.19. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $75.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $88.67. The company has a market cap of $2.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.53 and a beta of 1.64.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The financial services provider reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.98 by ($0.13). The firm had revenue of $237.37 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $260.43 million. Walker & Dunlop had a net margin of 9.55% and a return on equity of 9.64%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.35 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walker & Dunlop Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were paid a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.90%. Walker & Dunlop's payout ratio is currently 91.78%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WD has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded Walker & Dunlop from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on Walker & Dunlop from $105.00 to $95.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 17th.

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.