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

Shares of SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the eleven research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $24.00.

SLM has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on SLM from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Wedbush raised their target price on SLM from $25.00 to $29.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of SLM from $25.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of SLM from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of SLM from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th.

SLM Stock Down 0.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:SLM opened at $22.07 on Monday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $21.59 and its 200-day moving average is $21.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 1.26. SLM has a 52 week low of $12.26 and a 52 week high of $23.95. The company has a market capitalization of $4.85 billion, a PE ratio of 6.90, a P/E/G ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 1.15.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The credit services provider reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.32. The firm had revenue of $783.28 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $368.97 million. SLM had a net margin of 24.67% and a return on equity of 41.84%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.10 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that SLM will post 2.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SLM Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 5th were given a dividend of $0.11 per share. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.99%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 5th. SLM’s payout ratio is 13.75%.

Insider Transactions at SLM

In related news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 4,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.70, for a total value of $102,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 101,093 shares in the company, valued at $2,294,811.10. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SLM

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of SLM by 1,373.3% in the first quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,326 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 1,236 shares in the last quarter. SYSTM Wealth Solutions LLC increased its stake in SLM by 37.0% during the 1st quarter. SYSTM Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 1,828 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 494 shares in the last quarter. Neo Ivy Capital Management bought a new stake in SLM during the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in SLM during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $60,000. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its stake in SLM by 78.6% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 2,962 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 1,304 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.