FJ Capital Management LLC Takes Position in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD)

FJ Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 35,105 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,413,000. FJ Capital Management LLC owned about 0.10% of Walker & Dunlop as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WD. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Walker & Dunlop by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,772,110 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $366,687,000 after purchasing an additional 27,670 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 7.4% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,318,599 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $128,181,000 after purchasing an additional 90,725 shares in the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,197,571 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $116,416,000 after acquiring an additional 8,683 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 460,122 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $44,728,000 after acquiring an additional 8,915 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 437,665 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $42,545,000 after buying an additional 26,461 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.97% of the company's stock.

Walker & Dunlop Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WD traded up $4.93 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $75.89. 310,508 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 195,917. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 1-year low of $69.59 and a 1-year high of $118.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.79 and a beta of 1.64. The company's 50-day moving average price is $79.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $92.29.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The financial services provider reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.98 by ($0.13). Walker & Dunlop had a net margin of 9.55% and a return on equity of 9.64%. The company had revenue of $237.37 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $260.43 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.35 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect 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 Thursday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Walker & Dunlop's payout ratio is currently 91.78%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on WD shares. StockNews.com cut Walker & Dunlop from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report 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 for the company in a report on Thursday, April 17th.

Insider Transactions at Walker & Dunlop

In other news, CEO William M. Walker acquired 17,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $86.21 per share, for a total transaction of $1,508,675.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 411,271 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $35,455,672.91. This represents a 4.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 3.66% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.