Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) Shares Acquired by Mackenzie Financial Corp

Key Points

• Mackenzie Financial Corp significantly increased its holdings in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. by 369.8% in Q1, owning 9,692 shares valued at approximately $827,000.
• Other institutional investors also expanded their investments, with Royce & Associates LP increasing its stake by 257.2% during the same period.
• Walker & Dunlop shares were downgraded from a "hold" to a "sell" rating by Wall Street Zen as of May 6th, reflecting changes in market sentiment.

Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD - Free Report) by 369.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,692 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 7,629 shares during the quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp's holdings in Walker & Dunlop were worth $827,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the 1st quarter worth $22,363,000. Royce & Associates LP raised its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 257.2% in the 1st quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 282,688 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $24,130,000 after buying an additional 203,542 shares during the period. Tributary Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the 1st quarter worth $12,111,000. Granite Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the 4th quarter worth $13,338,000. Finally, FMR LLC raised its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 7.4% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,318,599 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $128,181,000 after buying an additional 90,725 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.97% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on WD. Wall Street Zen raised Walker & Dunlop from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on Walker & Dunlop from $105.00 to $95.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th.

Walker & Dunlop Trading Up 1.3%

NYSE:WD traded up $1.04 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $80.95. The company had a trading volume of 317,408 shares, compared to its average volume of 274,275. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $72.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $78.34. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 1 year low of $64.48 and a 1 year high of $118.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.98 and a beta of 1.57.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD - Get Free Report) last released 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 company had revenue of $319.24 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $275.84 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.23 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Walker & Dunlop Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 21st will be given a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 21st. Walker & Dunlop's payout ratio is presently 91.78%.

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.