Victory Capital Management Inc. Buys 261,708 Shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD)

Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD - Free Report) by 65.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 658,857 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 261,708 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned approximately 1.97% of Walker & Dunlop worth $73,140,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WD. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 960.7% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 201,387 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $14,951,000 after buying an additional 182,401 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 7,867.6% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 73,461 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $8,155,000 after purchasing an additional 72,539 shares in the last quarter. Moody Aldrich Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the third quarter valued at about $3,644,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 16.6% in the third quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 296,015 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $21,976,000 after purchasing an additional 42,160 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 9.8% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 395,695 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,376,000 after purchasing an additional 35,454 shares in the last quarter. 80.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walker & Dunlop

In other Walker & Dunlop news, Director Howard W. Smith III sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.81, for a total transaction of $1,876,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 191,508 shares of the company's stock, valued at $17,965,365.48. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Howard W. Smith III sold 20,166 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.56, for a total value of $1,886,730.96. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 191,508 shares of the company's stock, valued at $17,917,488.48. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Howard W. Smith III sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.81, for a total transaction of $1,876,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 191,508 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,965,365.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 46,074 shares of company stock worth $4,328,255 in the last quarter. 5.47% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on WD. Wedbush reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $95.00 target price on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a report on Friday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a "market perform" rating and set a $105.00 price objective on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Walker & Dunlop from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd.

Walker & Dunlop Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of Walker & Dunlop stock traded up $1.00 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $95.23. 283,147 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 213,456. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 52-week low of $61.06 and a 52-week high of $113.67. The company has a fifty day moving average of $93.82 and a 200-day moving average of $91.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.76 and a beta of 1.54.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The financial services provider reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.36. Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 9.16% and a net margin of 8.87%. The firm had revenue of $228.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $251.82 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.17 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 4.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walker & Dunlop Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.73%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 15th. Walker & Dunlop's dividend payout ratio is currently 94.89%.

About Walker & Dunlop

Walker & Dunlop, Inc, through its subsidiaries, originates, sells, and services a range of multifamily and other commercial real estate financing products and services for owners and developers of real estate in the United States. It operates through three segments: Capital Markets, Servicing & Asset Management, and Corporate.