Handelsbanken Fonder AB Buys 800 Shares of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its stake in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) by 14.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,451 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 800 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Walker & Dunlop were worth $733,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. National Bank of Canada FI raised its position in shares of 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 worth $26,000 after buying an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop in the first quarter worth $34,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. raised its position in Walker & Dunlop by 163.6% during the first quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 398 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares in the last quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Walker & Dunlop during the first quarter valued at about $57,000. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC purchased a new stake in Walker & Dunlop during the second quarter valued at about $94,000. 80.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walker & Dunlop Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE:WD opened at $110.36 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $106.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $100.60. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a 12-month low of $62.51 and a 12-month high of $116.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.61 and a beta of 1.55.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The financial services provider reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.16 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $270.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $274.50 million. Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 9.65% and a net margin of 8.41%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.98 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current year.

Walker & Dunlop Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 22nd were paid a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 22nd. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.36%. Walker & Dunlop’s payout ratio is presently 100.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on Walker & Dunlop from $105.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Wolfe Research upgraded Walker & Dunlop to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Wedbush raised their price target on Walker & Dunlop from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Walker & Dunlop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, August 11th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Stephen P. Theobald sold 13,870 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.10, for a total value of $1,471,607.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 53,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,715,500.90. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 5.47% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Walker & Dunlop

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.