Citizens Jmp Upgrades Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) to "Outperform"

Key Points

• Walker & Dunlop has been upgraded from "market perform" to "mkt outperform" by Citizens Jmp, with a target price of $95.00, indicating a potential upside of 17.94% from its current stock price.
• The company reported $1.15 earnings per share for the last quarter, missing estimates while achieving revenue of $319.24 million, which was above the consensus.
• Insider selling occurred recently, with EVP Paula A. Pryor selling 5,336 shares at an average price of $86.20, reducing her stake by 36.36%.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Citizens Jmp from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report issued on Friday, MarketBeat reports. The brokerage currently has a $95.00 price target on the financial services provider's stock. Citizens Jmp's price target points to a potential upside of 15.28% from the company's current price.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $95.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research report on Wednesday. Citigroup raised shares of Walker & Dunlop to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday. JMP Securities set a $95.00 target price on shares of Walker & Dunlop and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Walker & Dunlop from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $94.25.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Up 2.3%

NYSE WD traded up $1.85 on Friday, reaching $82.41. The company had a trading volume of 14,699 shares, compared to its average volume of 239,343. The stock's 50 day moving average is $83.45 and its 200-day moving average is $76.93. The stock has a market cap of $2.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.45 and a beta of 1.59. Walker & Dunlop has a 52 week low of $64.48 and a 52 week high of $118.19.

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

Insider Transactions at Walker & Dunlop

In related news, EVP Paula A. Pryor sold 5,336 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.20, for a total value of $459,963.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 9,341 shares in the company, valued at $805,194.20. The trade was a 36.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 3.66% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walker & Dunlop

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WD. First Horizon Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the first quarter valued at about $32,000. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 115.8% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 479 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 65.7% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 479 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the period. Finally, Strs Ohio acquired a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the first quarter valued at about $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.97% 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.