Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) EVP Sells $459,963.20 in Stock

Key Points

• Paula Pryor, EVP of Walker & Dunlop, sold 5,336 shares at an average price of $86.20, reducing her holdings by 36.36% and leaving her with 9,341 shares valued at approximately $805,194.20.
• Walker & Dunlop reported Q2 earnings of $1.15 per share, falling short of estimates, but achieved a revenue of $319.24 million, showcasing a year-over-year growth of 17.9%.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.67 per share, reflecting a 3.3% yield and a payout ratio of 82.72%, with the payment scheduled for September 5th.

Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD - Get Free Report) EVP Paula A. Pryor sold 5,336 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.20, for a total transaction of $459,963.20. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 9,341 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $805,194.20. This trade represents a 36.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Performance

Walker & Dunlop stock traded down $1.28 during trading on Monday, reaching $86.32. 237,432 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 222,589. The company's 50-day moving average is $79.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $77.05. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 52-week low of $64.48 and a 52-week high of $118.19. The firm has a market cap of $2.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.64 and a beta of 1.58.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.15 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.29 by ($0.14). The firm had revenue of $319.24 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $275.84 million. Walker & Dunlop had a net margin of 9.27% and a return on equity of 8.81%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.23 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current year.

Walker & Dunlop Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 21st were paid a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 21st. Walker & Dunlop's dividend payout ratio is 82.72%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walker & Dunlop

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,845,100 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $179,355,000 after acquiring an additional 8,571 shares during the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,218,881 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $104,044,000 after buying an additional 21,310 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 2.9% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 771,212 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $54,361,000 after buying an additional 21,446 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 463,191 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $39,538,000 after buying an additional 3,069 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 6.4% during the 4th 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. 80.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on WD shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Walker & Dunlop from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Wedbush reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $90.00 price objective on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $92.50.

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.