Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) Lifted to Strong-Buy at Wolfe Research

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) was upgraded by stock analysts at Wolfe Research to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday, Zacks.com reports.

WD has been the subject of several other research reports. Wedbush boosted their price objective on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $105.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Walker & Dunlop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, August 11th.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:WD opened at $113.98 on Tuesday. Walker & Dunlop has a fifty-two week low of $62.51 and a fifty-two week high of $114.64. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $105.67 and its 200 day moving average price is $99.01. The stock has a market cap of $3.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.60 and a beta of 1.55.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The financial services provider reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.16 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $270.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $274.50 million. Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 9.65% and a net margin of 8.41%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.98 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Walker & Dunlop will post 5.27 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Walker & Dunlop

In other news, COO Stephen P. Theobald sold 13,870 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.10, for a total transaction of $1,471,607.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 53,869 shares in the company, valued at $5,715,500.90. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 5.47% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walker & Dunlop

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WD. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its position in Walker & Dunlop by 205.6% in the second quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 275 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares during the period. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 163.6% in the first quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 398 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 247 shares in the last quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new position in Walker & Dunlop during the first quarter worth $57,000. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC purchased a new position in Walker & Dunlop in the second quarter worth $94,000. 80.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.