Raymond James Financial Inc. Invests $687,000 in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD)

Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 7,061 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $687,000.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 1.3% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,434,370 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $162,930,000 after purchasing an additional 18,461 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 460,122 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $44,728,000 after acquiring an additional 8,915 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in Walker & Dunlop by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 348,456 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,873,000 after acquiring an additional 4,152 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 156,264 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $15,190,000 after acquiring an additional 4,580 shares during the period. Finally, First Sabrepoint Capital Management LP grew its position in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 100.0% in the third quarter. First Sabrepoint Capital Management LP now owns 150,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $17,038,000 after purchasing an additional 75,000 shares during the last quarter. 80.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Walker & Dunlop from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $105.00 price target for the company in a report on Thursday, March 6th.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Performance

NYSE:WD opened at $78.17 on Monday. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 52 week low of $76.12 and a 52 week high of $118.19. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $87.65 and its 200 day simple moving average is $99.35. The firm has a market cap of $2.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.50 and a beta of 1.42.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The financial services provider reported $1.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by ($0.18). The business had revenue of $341.45 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $316.82 million. Walker & Dunlop had a net margin of 9.55% and a return on equity of 9.64%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current year.

Walker & Dunlop Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.43%. This is an increase from Walker & Dunlop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio is presently 84.01%.

Insider Transactions at Walker & Dunlop

In other Walker & Dunlop news, CEO William M. Walker bought 17,500 shares of Walker & Dunlop stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $86.21 per share, with a total value of $1,508,675.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 411,271 shares in the company, valued at $35,455,672.91. This trade represents a 4.44 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 3.66% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Walker & Dunlop Company Profile

Walker & Dunlop, Inc is a holding company, which engages in the provision of commercial real estate and finance services. It operates through the following segments: Capital Markets, Servicing and Asset Management, and Corporate. The Capital Markets segment offers a comprehensive range of commercial real estate finance products to customers.