Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. $WD

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD - Free Report) by 0.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 463,191 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 3,069 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned approximately 1.36% of Walker & Dunlop worth $39,538,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,845,100 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $179,355,000 after purchasing an additional 8,571 shares in the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Walker & Dunlop by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,197,571 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $116,416,000 after acquiring an additional 8,683 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in Walker & Dunlop by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 437,665 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $42,545,000 after acquiring an additional 26,461 shares in the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP boosted its position in Walker & Dunlop by 257.2% during the 1st quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 282,688 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $24,130,000 after acquiring an additional 203,542 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Walker & Dunlop during the 1st quarter valued at $22,363,000. Institutional investors own 80.97% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on WD. Wall Street Zen raised Walker & Dunlop from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Wedbush reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $90.00 price objective on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a report on Thursday, August 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $92.50.

Walker & Dunlop Trading Up 5.7%

Shares of WD traded up $4.6780 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $86.9180. 50,699 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 241,446. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 1 year low of $64.48 and a 1 year high of $118.19. The firm's fifty day moving average is $75.10 and its 200-day moving average is $77.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.81 and a beta of 1.57.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.15 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.29 by ($0.14). Walker & Dunlop had a net margin of 9.27% and a return on equity of 8.81%. The business had revenue of $319.24 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $275.84 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.23 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 21st will be paid a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date 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 (DPR) is 82.72%.

Walker & Dunlop 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.