New Age Alpha Advisors LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. $WD

Key Points

• New Age Alpha Advisors increased its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 1,401.9% in the fourth quarter, ending with 68,846 shares valued at about $4.1 million.
• Several insiders and institutional investors also added to their positions, including director purchases by Dana L. Schmaltz and Ernest Michael Freedman, while hedge funds own about 80.97% of the stock.
• Analysts remain cautiously positive: Walker & Dunlop has a Moderate Buy consensus rating with an average price target of $79.20, even after the company recently missed earnings estimates and issued a 5.4% dividend.

New Age Alpha Advisors LLC lifted its position in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD - Free Report) by 1,401.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 68,846 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 64,262 shares during the quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC owned about 0.20% of Walker & Dunlop worth $4,141,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,743,034 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $312,993,000 after buying an additional 16,392 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 10.4% during the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,198,071 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $100,183,000 after buying an additional 113,282 shares during the last quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 59.9% during the 4th quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 859,072 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $51,673,000 after buying an additional 321,734 shares during the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP increased its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 12.6% during the 3rd quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 486,093 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $40,647,000 after buying an additional 54,344 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 49.0% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 303,242 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $25,357,000 after buying an additional 99,658 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.97% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Walker & Dunlop

In related news, Director Dana L. Schmaltz acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $45.78 per share, with a total value of $45,780.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 84,325 shares in the company, valued at $3,860,398.50. This represents a 1.20% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ernest Michael Freedman acquired 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $49.21 per share, with a total value of $246,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 6,097 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $300,033.37. This represents a 455.79% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 4.02% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WD has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Walker & Dunlop from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Walker & Dunlop from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Stephens assumed coverage on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $69.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $65.00 to $67.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $79.20.

Walker & Dunlop Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WD opened at $50.43 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.73 billion, a PE ratio of 24.97 and a beta of 1.52. The firm's 50-day moving average is $48.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $56.88. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 1 year low of $42.12 and a 1 year high of $90.00.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The financial services provider reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.46 by ($1.18). The business had revenue of $340.02 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $343.66 million. Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 7.18% and a net margin of 5.29%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.32 earnings per share.

Walker & Dunlop Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.68 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $2.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.4%. Walker & Dunlop's dividend payout ratio is 134.65%.

Walker & Dunlop Company Profile

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.