Walker & Dunlop, Inc. - WD STOCK NEWS

Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has expanded its Investment Sales business into the Hospitality sector with the addition of Jonathan (Jay) Morrow as senior managing director. Morrow will lead the company's hospitality practice, focusing on origination and execution of hospitality investment sales and capital placement across the United States. This strategic move follows Walker & Dunlop's success in multifamily investment sales.

The hospitality investment sales market has shown resilience post-pandemic, with annual volume increasing from $12.8 billion in 2020 to $49 billion in 2022. Walker & Dunlop's expansion into hospitality aims to provide additional products and services to institutional investors who invest across various asset classes.

Morrow brings over 15 years of experience from Hodges Ward Elliott, where he completed over $20 billion in lodging transactions. Walker & Dunlop has already demonstrated expertise in the hospitality sector, with notable deals including the $754M Aman New York Hotel & Residences and the $325M Moxy and AC hotel Los Angeles.

Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE: WD) has announced the details for its third quarter 2024 earnings conference call. The company will release its Q3 2024 results before the market opens on November 7, 2024. A conference call to discuss the quarterly results is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Eastern time on the same day.

Investors and analysts can access the call by dialing (888) 256-1007 from within the United States or (773) 305-6853 from outside the country, using the Confirmation Code: 1186507. Additionally, a simultaneous webcast of the call will be available through a provided link. For those unable to attend the live call, a webcast replay will be accessible on the company's Investor Relations website.

Walker & Dunlop has been named to the 2024 Fortune Best Workplaces in Financial Services & Insurance List for the eighth time. This recognition, based on a survey of over 194,000 employees at certified companies, places Walker & Dunlop among the top 50 best companies to work for in the country.

Paula Pryor, executive vice president and chief human resources officer, attributes this honor to the company's valued culture, 'The Walker Way'. She emphasizes that employees trust senior management, take pride in client service, feel they can be themselves, and rely on colleague support.

The list, determined by Great Place To Work, uses a proprietary methodology to evaluate organizations based on over 1.3 million survey responses. Companies are selected for their ability to offer positive outcomes for employees across various demographics and job roles.

Walker & Dunlop has arranged $137,288,000 in financing for LUKA on the Common, a 398-unit, 30-story luxury apartment complex in Downtown Boston. The Walker & Dunlop Boston Investment Sales team facilitated the sale of the property from AvalonBay Communities to Carmel Partners. Simultaneously, the Multifamily Finance team secured the acquisition financing through Fannie Mae, structuring it as a five-year, full interest-only loan with an early-rate lock.

The property, formerly known as AVA Theater District, is located in the Boston Common multifamily market and boasts the highest possible walk and transit score of 100. This transaction marks the highest price paid for an apartment complex in the market in over a year, highlighting the strong multifamily fundamentals in Boston driven by supply and employment growth in life sciences and healthcare sectors.

Walker & Dunlop, a leader in seniors housing financing, has released its 2024 Seniors Housing Outlook report, highlighting growth opportunities and increased demand in the sector. The report comes as demographic shifts project that one in five Americans will be 65 or older by 2050, up from 17% in 2020. This demographic change is expected to boost demand for seniors housing significantly.

The report notes that while the industry faces challenges such as rising operational costs and regulatory complexities, it also presents opportunities for innovation in technology and new service offerings. Operational performance in 2024 shows improvement, with increasing occupancy rates and gradually improving profit margins, although not yet at pre-pandemic levels. Rent growth has been a key factor in driving revenue.

Walker & Dunlop has closed $600 million in seniors housing through Q2 2024, involving 28 assets across 11 states, totaling 2,955 units. An additional $361 million is under agreement. The company will be showcasing the report at the NIC Conference in Washington, DC, starting September 23, 2024.

Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has expanded its Capital Markets Midwest presence by adding Jonathan Zilber as senior managing director in Cleveland, Ohio. This strategic move aims to strengthen the company's capabilities across the country, particularly in the Ohio market. Zilber, with over $7 billion in financing arranged nationwide, will focus on originating and placing loans across various property types, emphasizing agency and alternative products for multifamily assets.

Joining Zilber are Joel Chetner (senior director), Judah Altusky (director), and Josh Geller (analyst), forming a talented team to capitalize on the Midwest region's opportunities. In 2023, Walker & Dunlop's Capital Markets group sourced capital for transactions totaling nearly $12 billion from non-Agency capital providers, solidifying their position as a top adviser in the industry.

Walker & Dunlop's Walker Webcast celebrates its 200th episode featuring General David Petraeus. The award-winning webcast has gained significant popularity, attracting over 65,000 views weekly and amassing a total of 11 million viewers. Hosted by Willy Walker, the CEO of Walker & Dunlop, the webcast has become a top 2% global business podcast.

The milestone episode, airing on September 18th at 12:30 pm EDT, will cover topics such as global security, leadership lessons, and current world challenges. The webcast's success has expanded Walker & Dunlop's brand beyond expectations, evolving from a pandemic communication tool to a showcase of thought leadership.

Walker & Dunlop's Apprise platform has won the 'CRE Data Innovation Award' in the 4th annual PropTech Breakthrough Awards. Apprise is an independent valuation, data, and advisory platform that combines expert appraisers with advanced data science and technology. The platform aggregates 2.5 million records and 250 critical variables, delivering accelerated, data-driven appraisals nationwide.

Apprise's unique features include:

• Web-based solution for commercial property appraisals
• Intuitive dashboards for valuation trends and sales data
• Early integration of Jan 2025 Fannie Mae XML standards
• Track record of valuing $350 billion in commercial real estate

This recognition highlights Apprise's role in transforming the valuation advisory industry and setting new standards for appraisers in shaping the market.

Walker & Dunlop's creative team has been honored with multiple 2024 Hermes Creative Awards for their exceptional work on the company's website and Walker Webcast. The team received three Platinum Awards for website redesign, home page, and overall website design, as well as a Gold Award for rebranding the Walker Webcast. The Hermes Creative Awards is a global competition celebrating creative excellence across various media, with over 6,500 entries from 38 countries.

Matt Cabral, SVP and creative director, emphasized the team's dedication to creative excellence and meeting business needs. Carol McNerney, CMO, highlighted the in-house agency as a competitive advantage for Walker & Dunlop. The recognition underscores the company's progress in creative innovation and its commitment to pushing boundaries in digital media and marketing.