Virtu Financial LLC Makes New Investment in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD)

Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 2,764 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $307,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Deutsche Bank AG increased its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 2.2% during the third quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 90,860 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,745,000 after acquiring an additional 1,995 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers increased its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 107,205 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,959,000 after purchasing an additional 4,437 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 60.8% in the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 59,049 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,384,000 after buying an additional 22,316 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in Walker & Dunlop by 1.4% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 413,474 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,696,000 after buying an additional 5,839 shares during the last quarter. Finally, 2Xideas AG increased its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 1.8% during the third quarter. 2Xideas AG now owns 156,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $11,581,000 after acquiring an additional 2,719 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walker & Dunlop news, EVP Paula A. Pryor sold 4,533 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.33, for a total value of $441,196.89. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,227 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $898,063.91. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 5.47% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WD. StockNews.com cut shares of Walker & Dunlop from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Wedbush reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $95.00 price objective on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $105.00 target price on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Down 0.7 %

Walker & Dunlop stock opened at $95.13 on Friday. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 52-week low of $62.51 and a 52-week high of $113.67. The firm has a market cap of $3.21 billion, a PE ratio of 34.72 and a beta of 1.54. The company’s 50 day moving average is $95.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $96.68.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The financial services provider reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $228.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $251.82 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.17 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 5.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walker & Dunlop Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 16th were given a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 15th. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio is presently 94.89%.

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.