SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $27.27.

SLM has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $26.00 price objective on shares of SLM in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Barclays cut their price target on SLM from $27.00 to $26.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on SLM from $24.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Bank of America began coverage on SLM in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $27.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $30.00 price target (up from $27.00) on shares of SLM in a report on Monday, December 9th.

SLM Trading Up 3.0 %

NASDAQ:SLM opened at $28.17 on Wednesday. SLM has a 12-month low of $18.04 and a 12-month high of $28.74. The firm has a market cap of $5.98 billion, a PE ratio of 9.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.21. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $25.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $23.16.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The credit services provider reported ($0.23) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.07 by ($0.30). SLM had a net margin of 22.18% and a return on equity of 35.92%. The company had revenue of $652.64 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $363.40 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.11 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that SLM will post 2.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SLM Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 5th were given a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 5th. This is a positive change from SLM’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.85%. SLM’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.12%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 4,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.25, for a total value of $122,625.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 83,130 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,265,292.50. The trade was a 5.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On SLM

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Waldron Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in SLM in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new stake in shares of SLM in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of SLM by 358.7% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,399 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 1,094 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in SLM during the third quarter worth $35,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in SLM in the second quarter worth $60,000. 98.94% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About SLM

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.