Analysts Set SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) Price Target at $31.18

Shares of SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $31.18.

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on SLM. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price 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. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of SLM from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays boosted their target price on SLM from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on SLM from $30.00 to $27.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on SLM from $32.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th.

SLM Price Performance

NASDAQ SLM opened at $25.46 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $29.17 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $26.89. SLM has a 52 week low of $19.39 and a 52 week high of $32.65. The stock has a market cap of $5.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.05. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by ($0.06). SLM had a return on equity of 31.66% and a net margin of 20.73%. Analysts forecast that SLM will post 3.07 EPS for the current year.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 5th. SLM’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.62%.

Insider Activity at SLM

In other SLM news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 40,000 shares of SLM stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.57, for a total transaction of $1,142,800.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 43,163 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,233,166.91. The trade was a 48.10 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On SLM

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of SLM. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its holdings in shares of SLM by 86.4% during 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. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in SLM by 32.2% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,849 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $51,000 after acquiring 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 $86,000. Plato Investment Management Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of SLM in the 4th quarter valued at $114,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in SLM by 489.7% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 4,476 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $123,000 after purchasing an additional 3,717 shares in the last quarter. 98.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.