Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) Posts Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.01 EPS

by · The Cerbat Gem

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD – Get Free Report) issued its earnings results on Thursday. The financial services provider reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.01, Zacks reports. The firm had revenue of $337.68 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $325.10 million. Walker & Dunlop had a net margin of 9.27% and a return on equity of 8.81%. The business’s revenue was up 15.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.19 earnings per share.

Walker & Dunlop Price Performance

Shares of WD stock traded down $8.98 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $71.00. 504,381 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 234,757. The stock has a market cap of $2.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.91 and a beta of 1.66. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $83.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $77.36. Walker & Dunlop has a 52-week low of $64.48 and a 52-week high of $114.60.

Walker & Dunlop Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 21st will be given a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 21st. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio is presently 82.72%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Paula A. Pryor sold 5,336 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $805,194.20. This represents a 36.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 3.66% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Walker & Dunlop

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the 1st quarter valued at $51,000. Engineers Gate Manager LP raised its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 27.7% in the second quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 4,408 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $311,000 after buying an additional 956 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 183.1% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,447 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $313,000 after buying an additional 2,876 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 17.5% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,702 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $316,000 after buying an additional 552 shares during the last quarter. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new stake in Walker & Dunlop in the second quarter valued at about $343,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WD has been the subject of a number of research reports. Citigroup upgraded Walker & Dunlop to an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 10th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. JMP Securities set a $95.00 price target on Walker & Dunlop and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Walker & Dunlop from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Finally, Citizens Jmp raised shares of Walker & Dunlop from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $95.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $94.25.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on WD

Walker & Dunlop Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

Recommended Stories