Walker & Dunlop, Inc. $WD Shares Sold by Victory Capital Management Inc.

Key Points

• Victory Capital Management cut its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 27.5% in Q3, selling 352,425 shares and now holding 928,027 shares (about 2.72% of the company) valued at roughly $77.6 million.
• Walker & Dunlop posted a sharp quarterly EPS miss of $0.28 versus $1.46 expected, with revenue slightly below estimates and year‑over‑year revenue down 0.4%.
• The firm raised its quarterly dividend to $0.68 (annualized $2.72), implying a 5.4% yield, but the payout ratio is a high 163%, which may raise sustainability concerns.

Victory Capital Management Inc. cut its position in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD - Free Report) by 27.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 928,027 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 352,425 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned about 2.72% of Walker & Dunlop worth $77,602,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the second quarter worth approximately $30,422,000. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. boosted its position in Walker & Dunlop by 147.7% during the 3rd quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 537,338 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $44,932,000 after acquiring an additional 320,425 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the second quarter worth $15,147,000. Tributary Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 93.2% in the third quarter. Tributary Capital Management LLC now owns 325,282 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $27,200,000 after purchasing an additional 156,944 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 49.0% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 303,242 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $25,357,000 after purchasing an additional 99,658 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.97% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WD has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Walker & Dunlop from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Walker & Dunlop from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $80.00 to $65.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Citigroup reissued a "market outperform" rating on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Walker & Dunlop in a research note on Friday, December 19th. They set a "buy" rating and a $75.00 price target for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $81.25.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WD opened at $50.51 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.80 and a beta of 1.57. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 1-year low of $42.12 and a 1-year high of $90.00. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $61.00 and a 200 day moving average price of $70.81.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The financial services provider reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.46 by ($1.18). The company had revenue of $340.02 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $343.66 million. Walker & Dunlop had a net margin of 4.56% and a return on equity of 6.81%. Walker & Dunlop's revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.32 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walker & Dunlop Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a $0.68 dividend. This is a positive change from Walker & Dunlop's previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $2.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.4%. Walker & Dunlop's dividend payout ratio is 163.41%.

Walker & Dunlop 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.