Walker & Dunlop, Inc. $WD Shares Acquired by Ceredex Value Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Ceredex Value Advisors LLC increased its stake in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. by 22.4% in Q1, now owning 110,750 shares valued at approximately $9.45 million.
• Analysts have recently upgraded Walker & Dunlop's rating from "strong sell" to "hold," with a consensus price target of $92.50.
• The company reported an earnings miss of $1.15 per share against an expected $1.29 and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.67, yielding 3.1% annually.

Ceredex Value Advisors LLC raised its stake in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD - Free Report) by 22.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 110,750 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 20,300 shares during the period. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC owned about 0.33% of Walker & Dunlop worth $9,454,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. First Horizon Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in Walker & Dunlop during the 1st quarter valued at $32,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in Walker & Dunlop by 90.5% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 383 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 122.0% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 444 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 244 shares during the period. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI grew its position 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 buying an additional 326 shares in the last quarter. 80.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Performance

WD traded down $0.90 on Monday, hitting $85.09. The company had a trading volume of 181,248 shares, compared to its average volume of 259,620. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.26 and a beta of 1.58. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $77.38 and a 200-day moving average price of $77.08. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 12-month low of $64.48 and a 12-month high of $118.19.

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

Walker & Dunlop Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 21st will be issued a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 21st. Walker & Dunlop's payout ratio is currently 82.72%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WD has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Walker & Dunlop from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Wedbush restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $90.00 price target on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a report on Thursday, August 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $92.50.

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.