Raymond James Financial Inc. Purchases Shares of 7,061 Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD)

Raymond James Financial Inc. 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 (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 7,061 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $687,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 230.8% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 751 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $72,000 after acquiring an additional 524 shares during the period. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 33.6% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,607 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $156,000 after buying an additional 404 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in Walker & Dunlop in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $178,000. Crewe Advisors LLC raised its position in Walker & Dunlop by 42.9% in the fourth quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 2,000 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $194,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in Walker & Dunlop during the 4th quarter worth approximately $211,000. Institutional investors own 80.97% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on WD. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $105.00 to $95.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. StockNews.com lowered Walker & Dunlop from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO William M. Walker purchased 17,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $86.21 per share, for a total transaction of $1,508,675.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 411,271 shares in the company, valued at $35,455,672.91. This trade represents a 4.44 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 3.66% of the company's stock.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of WD traded down $0.79 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $70.79. 252,012 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 195,457. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 1 year low of $69.59 and a 1 year high of $118.19. The business's 50-day moving average price is $79.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $92.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.19 and a beta of 1.64.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The financial services provider reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.98 by ($0.13). Walker & Dunlop had a net margin of 9.55% and a return on equity of 9.64%. The firm had revenue of $237.37 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $260.43 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.35 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 4.97 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 Thursday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.79%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Walker & Dunlop's dividend payout ratio is presently 91.78%.

Walker & Dunlop 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.