Victory Capital Management Inc. Buys 261,708 Shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD)

Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) by 65.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 658,857 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 261,708 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned about 1.97% of Walker & Dunlop worth $73,140,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Planned Solutions Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new position in Walker & Dunlop during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Strs Ohio increased its position in Walker & Dunlop by 133.3% during the 3rd quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 700 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the period. Byrne Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the 3rd quarter valued at about $56,000. Finally, Arkadios Wealth Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the 4th quarter worth approximately $205,000. 80.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WD has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $105.00 price objective on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and set a $95.00 price objective on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research note on Friday. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Walker & Dunlop from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd.

Walker & Dunlop Trading Up 1.2 %

NYSE WD opened at $95.39 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $93.85 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $91.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.81 and a beta of 1.54. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 12-month low of $61.06 and a 12-month high of $113.67.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The financial services provider reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.36. Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 9.16% and a net margin of 8.87%. The firm had revenue of $228.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $251.82 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.17 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 4.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walker & Dunlop Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 15th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.73%. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 94.89%.

Insider Activity at Walker & Dunlop

In other Walker & Dunlop news, CFO Gregory Florkowski sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.45, for a total value of $385,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 11,809 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,138,978.05. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, CFO Gregory Florkowski sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.45, for a total value of $385,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 11,809 shares in the company, valued at $1,138,978.05. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Howard W. Smith III sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.81, for a total value of $1,876,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 191,508 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,965,365.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 46,074 shares of company stock valued at $4,328,255 in the last three months. 5.47% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Walker & Dunlop Company Profile

Walker & Dunlop, Inc, through its subsidiaries, originates, sells, and services a range of multifamily and other commercial real estate financing products and services for owners and developers of real estate in the United States. It operates through three segments: Capital Markets, Servicing & Asset Management, and Corporate.