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

Shares of SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eleven research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two 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 objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $31.18.

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on SLM. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on SLM from $32.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on SLM from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays boosted their price target on SLM from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Compass Point lifted their target price on shares of SLM from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.57, for a total transaction of $1,142,800.00. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On SLM

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of SLM. Merit Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of SLM by 6.4% during the 1st quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 7,800 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $229,000 after purchasing an additional 469 shares in the last quarter. Kaizen Financial Strategies grew its position in shares of SLM by 7.5% in the 1st quarter. Kaizen Financial Strategies now owns 9,177 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $270,000 after acquiring an additional 639 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of SLM in the 1st quarter valued at about $214,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in SLM by 3,400.9% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 235,959 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $6,930,000 after purchasing an additional 229,219 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in SLM by 470.6% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,126,756 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $31,076,000 after buying an additional 929,292 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.94% of the company’s stock.

SLM Stock Down 5.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:SLM opened at $25.78 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $29.24 and a 200 day simple moving average of $26.84. SLM has a 52 week low of $19.39 and a 52 week high of $32.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 1.32. The company has a market cap of $5.42 billion, a PE ratio of 9.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.05.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last issued its earnings results 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 return on equity of 31.66% and a net margin of 20.73%. As a group, research analysts expect that SLM will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current year.

SLM Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were given a dividend of $0.13 per share. 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 2.02%. SLM’s dividend payout ratio is 19.62%.

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.