Principal Financial Group Inc. Reduces Holdings in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD)

Principal Financial Group Inc. cut its position in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 151,684 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 15,350 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Walker & Dunlop were worth $17,230,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 205.6% in the 2nd 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. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 1,295.8% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 335 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 311 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 44.5% in the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 575 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in Walker & Dunlop in the first quarter valued at about $57,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 64.7% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 654 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares in the last quarter. 80.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Stephen P. Theobald sold 13,870 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.10, for a total transaction of $1,471,607.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 53,869 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,715,500.90. This represents a 20.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 5.47% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Walker & Dunlop Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE WD opened at $107.57 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.73 and a beta of 1.55. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a twelve month low of $80.80 and a twelve month high of $118.19. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $110.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $103.38.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.29 by ($0.10). Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 9.81% and a net margin of 8.91%. The business had revenue of $292.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $294.24 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.11 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 5.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Walker & Dunlop Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Friday, November 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 22nd. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.42%. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 92.86%.

Walker & Dunlop 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.