Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Takes $670,000 Position in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. $WD

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new stake in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 15,100 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $670,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 45.5% in the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 72,175 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,203,000 after acquiring an additional 22,571 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 1,398.0% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 734 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 685 shares in the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the fourth quarter worth approximately $263,000. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 93,728 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,638,000 after purchasing an additional 2,632 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $62,000. 80.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on WD shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Walker & Dunlop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Stephens assumed coverage on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $69.00 price objective on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $65.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Walker & Dunlop from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Walker & Dunlop has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $79.20.

Walker & Dunlop Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of WD traded up $0.20 on Tuesday, reaching $52.84. 2,065 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 331,957. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $51.89 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $54.19. The stock has a market cap of $1.81 billion, a PE ratio of 26.16 and a beta of 1.48. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 52-week low of $42.12 and a 52-week high of $90.00.

Walker & Dunlop Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st were paid a dividend of $0.68 per share. This represents a $2.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.1%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 21st. Walker & Dunlop’s payout ratio is presently 134.65%.

Walker & Dunlop Profile

Walker & Dunlop is one of the largest providers of commercial real estate finance in the United States, specializing in the origination, servicing and sale of loans secured by multifamily, seniors housing, healthcare, student housing and manufactured housing properties. The firm offers a full suite of debt and equity solutions, including agency financing through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, HUD and FHA-insured loans, bridge and construction financing, mezzanine debt, preferred equity, and investment sales advisory.

With roots dating back to 1937 and its headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland, Walker & Dunlop has expanded its platform through both organic growth and strategic acquisitions.