SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) Downgraded by Compass Point to Sell

Compass Point downgraded shares of SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) from a buy rating to a sell rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. Compass Point currently has $23.00 price target on the credit services provider’s stock, down from their previous price target of $35.00.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on SLM. Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of SLM in a report on Friday. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of SLM from $43.00 to $35.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 6th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of SLM from $40.00 to $31.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 17th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of SLM from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of SLM from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, October 25th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $31.89.

SLM Trading Down 14.9%

NASDAQ SLM opened at $26.24 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.21, a P/E/G ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.14. SLM has a 52-week low of $23.81 and a 52-week high of $34.97. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $27.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $30.12. The company has a quick ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 14th. The credit services provider reported $1.15 earnings per share for the quarter. SLM had a return on equity of 30.13% and a net margin of 21.76%.The company had revenue of ($3.44) million for the quarter. SLM has set its FY 2022 guidance at $2.800-$3.000 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that SLM will post 3.07 EPS for the current year.

SLM Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 4th will be given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 4th. SLM’s payout ratio is currently 18.25%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SLM

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of SLM. Informed Momentum Co LLC purchased a new stake in shares of SLM during the first quarter worth about $4,190,000. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in SLM by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,654,575 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $77,965,000 after acquiring an additional 15,662 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in SLM in the 1st quarter valued at $15,544,000. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec acquired a new position in SLM in the 1st quarter valued at $1,392,000. Finally, Millennium Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of SLM by 378.4% during the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 2,633,072 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $77,333,000 after purchasing an additional 2,082,687 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.94% of the company’s stock.

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.