Northern Trust Corp Increases Holdings in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD)

Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD - Free Report) by 6.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 437,665 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 26,461 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp owned approximately 1.30% of Walker & Dunlop worth $42,545,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Walker & Dunlop in the fourth quarter worth about $40,226,000. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P purchased a new stake in Walker & Dunlop in the fourth quarter worth about $17,384,000. Granite Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Walker & Dunlop in the fourth quarter worth about $13,338,000. M.D. Sass LLC grew its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 57.4% in the fourth quarter. M.D. Sass LLC now owns 264,855 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $25,747,000 after purchasing an additional 96,563 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC grew its holdings 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 during the period. 80.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Up 6.9%

WD traded up $4.93 during trading on Monday, hitting $75.89. The company's stock had a trading volume of 310,508 shares, compared to its average volume of 195,917. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a one year low of $69.59 and a one year high of $118.19. The firm has a market cap of $2.58 billion, a PE ratio of 23.79 and a beta of 1.64. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $79.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $92.29.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 business 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 was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.35 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walker & Dunlop Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.53%. Walker & Dunlop's payout ratio is 91.78%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $105.00 to $95.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. StockNews.com cut shares of Walker & Dunlop from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO William M. Walker bought 17,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was bought at an average cost 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 3.66% of the company's stock.

About Walker & Dunlop

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.