SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $31.45.

Several equities research analysts recently commented on SLM shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Compass Point boosted their price target on shares of SLM from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of SLM from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of SLM from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.57, for a total value of $1,142,800.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 43,163 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,233,166.91. This represents a 48.10 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Private Trust Co. NA grew its stake in SLM by 86.4% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 971 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in SLM in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of SLM by 32.2% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,849 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of SLM during the 4th quarter worth approximately $86,000. Finally, Plato Investment Management Ltd acquired a new position in shares of SLM during the 4th quarter worth approximately $114,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.94% of the company’s stock.

SLM Trading Down 0.6 %

SLM opened at $29.70 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.21, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.23. SLM has a 12 month low of $19.39 and a 12 month high of $32.65. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $29.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $26.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.56 by ($0.06). SLM had a net margin of 20.73% and a return on equity of 31.66%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that SLM will post 3.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

SLM Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were issued a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.75%. SLM’s payout ratio is 19.62%.

SLM Company Profile

SLM Corporation, through its subsidiaries, originates and services private education loans to students and their families to finance the cost of their education in the United States. It is also involved in the provision of retail deposit accounts, including certificates of deposit, money market accounts, and high-yield savings accounts; and interest-bearing omnibus accounts.