Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) Shares Acquired by Royce & Associates LP

Key Points

• Royce & Associates LP increased its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 257.2% in the first quarter, owning about 0.83% of the company valued at approximately $24.1 million.
• Walker & Dunlop reported a Q1 EPS of $0.85, missing estimates by $0.13, with revenue of $237.37 million, below expectations of $260.43 million.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.67 per share, representing a 3.51% dividend yield and a payout ratio of 91.78%.

Royce & Associates LP raised its holdings in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD - Free Report) by 257.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 282,688 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 203,542 shares during the quarter. Royce & Associates LP owned 0.83% of Walker & Dunlop worth $24,130,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WD. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the 4th quarter worth approximately $687,000. Xponance Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 9.5% during the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 2,308 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $224,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the 4th quarter worth approximately $178,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the 4th quarter worth approximately $661,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,772,110 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $366,687,000 after acquiring an additional 27,670 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.97% of the company's stock.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Performance

WD stock traded up $0.22 on Monday, reaching $76.61. The company had a trading volume of 37,541 shares, compared to its average volume of 235,926. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 1 year low of $64.48 and a 1 year high of $118.19. The company's fifty day moving average is $70.88 and its 200 day moving average is $79.25. The company has a market cap of $2.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.23 and a beta of 1.54.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The financial services provider reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.98 by ($0.13). The company had revenue of $237.37 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $260.43 million. Walker & Dunlop had a net margin of 8.68% and a return on equity of 8.99%. Walker & Dunlop's quarterly revenue was up 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.35 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Walker & Dunlop Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were issued a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.50%. Walker & Dunlop's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 91.78%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Walker & Dunlop from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on Walker & Dunlop from $105.00 to $95.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th.

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.