Weiss Ratings Reaffirms "Hold (C)" Rating for Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD)

Key Points

• Weiss Ratings has reaffirmed a "Hold (C)" rating for Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD), indicating a cautious outlook for the stock.
• Walker & Dunlop's stock recently traded at $86.81, showing a rise of 0.4%, with a market capitalization of approximately $2.96 billion.
• The company's quarterly earnings report revealed an EPS of $1.15, missing estimates by $0.14, although revenues increased by 17.9% year-over-year.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "hold (c)" rating reaffirmed by equities researchers at Weiss Ratings in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Weiss Ratings reports.

Several other research firms have also recently commented on WD. Wedbush reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $90.00 target price on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Citizens Jmp raised Walker & Dunlop from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $95.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Citigroup upgraded Walker & Dunlop to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. JMP Securities set a $95.00 price objective on Walker & Dunlop and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Walker & Dunlop from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $94.25.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Up 0.4%

WD stock traded up $0.31 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $86.81. 84,998 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 235,286. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.96 billion, a PE ratio of 26.80 and a beta of 1.59. The business has a 50-day moving average of $84.16 and a two-hundred day moving average of $76.93. 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 posted 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 return on equity of 8.81% and a net margin of 9.27%.The business had revenue of $319.24 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $275.84 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.23 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Walker & Dunlop will post 4.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walker & Dunlop

In related news, EVP Paula A. Pryor sold 5,336 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.20, for a total transaction of $459,963.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 9,341 shares in the company, valued at $805,194.20. This trade represents a 36.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 3.66% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Walker & Dunlop

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WD. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 26.1% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 764 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $65,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC acquired a new stake in Walker & Dunlop during the 1st quarter valued at $219,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Walker & Dunlop in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas bought a new position in Walker & Dunlop in the 1st quarter valued at $421,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 2.4% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 160,069 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $13,663,000 after purchasing an additional 3,805 shares in the last quarter. 80.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.

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