Walker & Dunlop Inc - WD STOCK NEWS

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE: WD) announced its first international expansion with a new London-based brokerage and capital markets advisory team. After 87 years of exclusive focus on U.S. commercial real estate, the company is expanding globally, led by Claudio V.R. Sgobba as senior managing director, Head - EMEA Capital Markets, alongside managing director Jessica Bell.

The new Walker & Dunlop Mayfair London office will focus on commercial real estate capital solutions, including senior, mezzanine, whole-loan, bridge loans, loans on loan, equity joint ventures, and recapitalizations. The team joins from Artega Capital, bringing over 60 years of combined experience and $70 billion in completed transactions since 2005 across the UK, Western Europe, U.S., and Middle East.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE: WD) announced its first international expansion with a new London-based brokerage and capital markets advisory team. After 87 years of exclusively focusing on the U.S. commercial real estate market, this strategic move aims to capitalize on the company's scale and meet client demand for expertise beyond the U.S.

The expansion is led by Claudio V.R. Sgobba, who joins as Senior Managing Director, Head - EMEA Capital Markets, alongside Managing Director Jessica Bell and other team members from Artega Capital. Sgobba brings extensive experience from previous roles at JLL, HFF, Dubai Inc., and Standard Chartered Bank, while Bell formerly served as managing director at KKR.

This strategic expansion is designed to strengthen relationships with global investors already engaged with the company in the U.S. market and marks a significant milestone in W&D's growth strategy.

Walker & Dunlop (WD) has scheduled its fourth quarter and full-year 2024 earnings release and conference call. The company will release its financial results before the market opens on February 13, 2025, followed by a conference call at 8:00 a.m. Eastern time on the same day.

Investors and interested parties can participate in the conference call by dialing (888) 394-8218 from within the United States or (773) 305-6853 from outside the United States, using Confirmation Code: 3476898. A simultaneous webcast will be available, and a replay can be accessed through the company's Investor Relations website.

Walker & Dunlop (WD) has strengthened its affordable housing team with two key appointments from Wells Fargo's Multifamily Capital team. Matthew Wiener joins as senior managing director, bringing over 25 years of GSE financing experience, while Preyaa Strzalkowski joins as senior director.

Both executives specialize in government-sponsored enterprise originations for conventional and affordable housing product lines, FHA financing, and bridge lending. Wiener, starting in March, previously held positions at American Property Financing and Wachovia Multifamily Capital. Strzalkowski, who worked alongside Wiener for seven years at Wells Fargo, focuses on Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, and balance sheet lending.

The appointments align with Walker & Dunlop's commitment to building a leading affordable housing platform, offering debt and equity financing, investment sales, and advisory services.

Dream Finders Homes (NYSE: DFH) has completed the acquisition of Liberty Communities' core homebuilding operations in Atlanta, Georgia and Greenville, South Carolina, along with its pre-engineered panel, truss, and building component import businesses. This strategic move marks DFH's entry into the Atlanta market, the sixth-largest homebuilding market in the U.S. with over 27,000 estimated single-family permits in 2024.

The acquisition includes Liberty's offsite manufacturing operations, providing potential cost and production efficiencies for DFH's homebuilding operations. The transaction was funded through cash on hand and borrowings under DFH's existing senior unsecured revolving credit facility. Upon closing, DFH paid off Liberty's vertical lines of credit associated with the acquired assets.

Harbor Group International (HGI) has formed a joint venture with The Garrett Companies and Telis Group for a $630.5 million recapitalization of an 11-asset multifamily portfolio. The portfolio encompasses 2,192 units across four states: eight properties in Colorado, and one each in Minnesota, Indiana, and Arizona.

The development of these properties began between 2021 and 2023, with the portfolio currently 75% complete. The transaction involved coordinating with nine different lenders across various markets. This marks HGI's first multifamily investment of 2025, following their 2024 investments of $909 million across 25 multifamily communities.

Walker & Dunlop has arranged a $245 million loan from TYKO Capital for the construction of The Greyson, a 28-story mixed-use development in Jersey City, New Jersey. The project features 622 residential units across 389,720 rentable square feet, plus 44,551 square feet of office space and 2,965 square feet of retail space.

The development, located in Journal Square, will offer various apartment configurations from studios to 3-bedrooms, alongside amenities including a rooftop pool with Manhattan skyline views, fitness center, and virtual reality rooms. The property's strategic location provides access to the Journal Square Transportation Center, connecting to New Jersey and Manhattan.

The Walker & Dunlop New York Capital Markets team, which sourced nearly $12 billion in transactions in 2023, arranged the financing with TYKO Capital, backed by Elliott Investment Management.

Walker & Dunlop has facilitated a significant real estate transaction in Miami's Edgewater neighborhood, arranging both the $190 million sale and $157 million financing of The Hamilton, a luxury bayfront high-rise. The 276-unit property was sold by Apartment Investment and Management Company (Aimco) to Kushner Companies, with financing provided by Apollo Global Management and Macquarie Group.

The Hamilton, originally built in 1984 and renovated in 2022, features spacious apartments averaging 1,373 square feet with exceptional private terraces averaging 326 square feet. The property stands out for its low density of 72 units per acre and is one of only two institutional-quality bayfront rental towers in Miami. Located in the growing Edgewater submarket, it offers residents premium bay views and easy access to Miami's major employment hubs.

Walker & Dunlop conducted its second annual survey among senior executives at the AHF Live conference, revealing key insights about affordable housing trends and policies. 94% of respondents support regional zoning policy changes to boost housing supply, while 84% oppose increasing trade tariffs for homebuilders.

On economic matters, 55% felt the Fed was effective in fighting inflation last year, though 75% expect more interest rate hikes. The survey shows increasing optimism for affordable housing investments, with 52% noting increased investments in the past year (up from 43% in 2023), and 70% expecting further growth in 2025.

Notably, 89% believe increased resources and supply can counter rising housing prices. The survey, conducted in November with 98-100 respondents, reflects a mix of optimistic and cautious views about the affordable housing sector's future.