137,204 Shares in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) Acquired by Granite Investment Partners LLC

Granite Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 137,204 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $13,338,000. Granite Investment Partners LLC owned about 0.41% of Walker & Dunlop at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Walker & Dunlop in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,226,000. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P purchased a new stake in Walker & Dunlop during the 4th quarter worth approximately $17,384,000. M.D. Sass LLC raised its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 57.4% in the 4th quarter. M.D. Sass LLC now owns 264,855 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $25,747,000 after purchasing an additional 96,563 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 7.4% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 111.3% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 153,539 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $14,926,000 after buying an additional 80,890 shares during the last quarter. 80.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO William M. Walker bought 17,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $86.21 per share, for a total transaction of $1,508,675.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 411,271 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $35,455,672.91. This trade represents a 4.44 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 3.66% of the company's stock.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:WD traded down $0.05 on Friday, reaching $73.60. 197,964 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 191,898. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $69.59 and a fifty-two week high of $118.19. The business's 50-day moving average is $83.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $96.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.07 and a beta of 1.42.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The financial services provider reported $1.34 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.52 by ($0.18). Walker & Dunlop had a net margin of 9.55% and a return on equity of 9.64%. The company had revenue of $341.45 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $316.82 million. Analysts predict that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walker & Dunlop Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.64%. This is a positive change from Walker & Dunlop's previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Walker & Dunlop's dividend payout ratio is currently 84.01%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $105.00 to $95.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday.

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.