First Trust Advisors LP Raises Holdings in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD)

First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD - Free Report) by 56.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 21,262 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 7,634 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned 0.06% of Walker & Dunlop worth $2,067,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 456.4% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 306 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 251 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 230.8% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 751 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 524 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV grew its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 33.6% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,607 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $156,000 after purchasing an additional 404 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the fourth quarter valued at about $178,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 42.9% in the 4th quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 2,000 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $194,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.97% of the company's stock.

Walker & Dunlop Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:WD traded down $0.79 during trading on Friday, reaching $70.79. The company's stock had a trading volume of 252,012 shares, compared to its average volume of 195,457. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.41 billion, a PE ratio of 22.19 and a beta of 1.64. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 12 month low of $69.59 and a 12 month high of $118.19. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $79.42 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $92.29.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The financial services provider reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.98 by ($0.13). The firm had revenue of $237.37 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $260.43 million. Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 9.64% and a net margin of 9.55%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.35 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walker & Dunlop Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Walker & Dunlop's payout ratio is currently 91.78%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO William M. Walker purchased 17,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $86.21 per share, with a total value of $1,508,675.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 411,271 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $35,455,672.91. The trade was a 4.44% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 3.66% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on WD. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $105.00 to $95.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 17th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Walker & Dunlop from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th.

Walker & Dunlop Company 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.