LPL Financial LLC Sells 5,157 Shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD)

LPL Financial LLC lowered its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD - Free Report) by 67.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 2,512 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 5,157 shares during the quarter. LPL Financial LLC's holdings in Walker & Dunlop were worth $244,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings 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 worth $72,000 after buying an additional 524 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 33.6% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,607 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $156,000 after acquiring an additional 404 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the 4th quarter worth approximately $178,000. Crewe Advisors LLC raised its stake in 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 period. Finally, Xponance Inc. lifted its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 9.5% during the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 2,308 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $224,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.97% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $105.00 to $95.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WD traded up $0.27 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $74.32. 185,704 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 193,271. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.30 and a beta of 1.42. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $80.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $93.88. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 52 week low of $69.59 and a 52 week high of $118.19.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD - Get Free Report) last posted 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). The firm had revenue of $237.37 million for 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 quarterly revenue was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.35 EPS. Research analysts predict that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walker & Dunlop Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.61%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Walker & Dunlop's dividend payout ratio is currently 84.01%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO William M. Walker bought 17,500 shares of Walker & Dunlop stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $86.21 per share, with a total value of $1,508,675.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 411,271 shares in the company, valued at $35,455,672.91. This trade represents a 4.44 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 3.66% of the company's stock.

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.