Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) Stock: Insider Gary Pinkus Acquires 4,850 Shares

Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) Director Gary Pinkus acquired 4,850 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 9th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $41.35 per share, with a total value of $200,547.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,850 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $200,547.50. This trade represents a ? increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of NYSE WD opened at $39.47 on Thursday. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a twelve month low of $31.40 and a twelve month high of $69.19. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $36.63 and a 200 day simple moving average of $47.01. The company has a market capitalization of $1.36 billion, a PE ratio of -39.08 and a beta of 1.48.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The financial services provider reported $0.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.98 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $298.45 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $310.93 million. Walker & Dunlop had a negative net margin of 2.64% and a positive return on equity of 6.66%. Walker & Dunlop’s quarterly revenue was down 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.22 EPS.

Walker & Dunlop Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 20th will be given a $0.68 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 20th. This represents a $2.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.9%. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -269.31%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 107.9% during the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 580 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 301 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in Walker & Dunlop by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 7,999 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $281,000 after purchasing an additional 323 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 223.8% during the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 489 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 338 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 39.8% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,606 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 457 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Essential Partners LLC increased its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 709.1% during the 1st quarter. Essential Partners LLC now owns 623 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 546 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WD has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research report on Friday, October 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Walker & Dunlop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 29th. Weiss Ratings lowered Walker & Dunlop from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research note on Monday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on Walker & Dunlop from $45.00 to $43.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 3rd. Finally, Citizens Jmp cut their price target on Walker & Dunlop from $55.00 to $50.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 16th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $59.25.

About Walker & Dunlop

Walker & Dunlop, Inc. is a commercial real estate finance and advisory firm focused primarily on multifamily properties. It arranges debt and equity financing, provides investment sales and property valuation services, and offers capital markets and investment management services to property owners and investors. The company works with government-sponsored housing finance agencies, including Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as well as the Federal Housing Administration, to provide financing options. Its services also include loan servicing and financing for other types of commercial real estate.