SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $30.91.

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on SLM shares. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on SLM from $26.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on SLM from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Compass Point lifted their price objective on SLM from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th.

Insider Buying and Selling 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 value of $1,142,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 43,163 shares in the company, valued at $1,233,166.91. The trade was a 48.10 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of SLM

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SLM. Private Trust Co. NA grew 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 worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the period. Waldron Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of SLM during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new stake in shares of SLM during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of SLM by 358.7% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,399 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,094 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of SLM during the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.94% of the company’s stock.

SLM Trading Up 0.3 %

NASDAQ:SLM opened at $30.10 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.33 billion, a PE ratio of 11.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37. SLM has a 52-week low of $19.39 and a 52-week high of $32.65. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $28.85 and a 200-day simple moving average of $25.17.

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

SLM Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be issued a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 5th. SLM’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.