Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) Downgraded to "Sell" Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen has downgraded Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) from a "hold" to a "sell" rating. This follows a series of mixed ratings from other analysts, with Citigroup upgrading it to "outperform" and others maintaining or adjusting their ratings. Currently, Walker & Dunlop has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $94.25. The stock recently traded at $69.35, down 2.5%. The company reported earnings of $1.22 per share, exceeding estimates, with a revenue of $337.68 million for the quarter, reflecting a 15.5% year-over-year increase.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD - Get Free Report) was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

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A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on WD. Citigroup raised shares of Walker & Dunlop to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $95.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Wedbush restated a "neutral" rating and set a $90.00 target price on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Citizens Jmp upgraded shares of Walker & Dunlop from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $95.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Walker & Dunlop presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $94.25.

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Walker & Dunlop Stock Down 2.5%

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Shares of WD traded down $1.75 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $69.35. The company had a trading volume of 417,078 shares, compared to its average volume of 235,608. The business has a fifty day moving average of $82.91 and a 200-day moving average of $77.34. The firm has a market cap of $2.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.40 and a beta of 1.66. Walker & Dunlop has a 12 month low of $64.48 and a 12 month high of $114.04.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $337.68 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $325.10 million. Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 8.81% and a net margin of 9.27%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 15.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.19 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Walker & Dunlop will post 4.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walker & Dunlop news, EVP Paula A. Pryor sold 5,336 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.20, for a total transaction of $459,963.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 9,341 shares in the company, valued at $805,194.20. This represents a 36.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 3.66% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walker & Dunlop

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Walker & Dunlop by 0.4% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,743,034 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $312,993,000 after purchasing an additional 16,392 shares during the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 1.8% during the first quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,218,881 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $104,044,000 after purchasing an additional 21,310 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 2.9% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 771,212 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $54,361,000 after purchasing an additional 21,446 shares during the last quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. increased its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 147.7% in the third quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 537,338 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $44,932,000 after purchasing an additional 320,425 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 0.7% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 463,191 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $39,538,000 after purchasing an additional 3,069 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.97% of the company's stock.

Walker & Dunlop Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

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