Public Sector Pension Investment Board Acquires 21,714 Shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. $WD

Key Points

• The Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 27.2%, owning a total of 101,681 shares valued at approximately $8.68 million after acquiring an additional 21,714 shares.
• Walker & Dunlop recently reported earnings of $1.15 per share, missing analysts' expectations of $1.29, but achieved a 17.9% year-over-year revenue growth with a revenue of $319.24 million.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.67 per share, with an annualized yield of 3.2% and a dividend payout ratio of 82.72%.

Public Sector Pension Investment Board lifted its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD - Free Report) by 27.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 101,681 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 21,714 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board owned 0.30% of Walker & Dunlop worth $8,679,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WD. First Horizon Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 456.4% during the 4th 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. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 90.5% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 383 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 122.0% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 444 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI raised its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 81.9% during the 1st quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 724 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 326 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.97% of the company's stock.

Walker & Dunlop Price Performance

NYSE WD traded up $0.9550 on Tuesday, reaching $85.0150. The stock had a trading volume of 44,489 shares, compared to its average volume of 242,645. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $74.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $77.57. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 1-year low of $64.48 and a 1-year high of $118.19. The company has a market cap of $2.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.24 and a beta of 1.57.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.29 by ($0.14). The company had revenue of $319.24 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $275.84 million. Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 8.81% and a net margin of 9.27%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.23 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walker & Dunlop Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 21st. Walker & Dunlop's dividend payout ratio is 82.72%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on WD shares. Wall Street Zen raised Walker & Dunlop from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Wedbush reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $90.00 target price on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a report on Thursday, August 14th. One equities research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $92.50.

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.