SLM Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NASDAQ:SLM)

SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) was the target of unusually large options trading on Tuesday. Stock investors acquired 5,628 put options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 458% compared to the typical daily volume of 1,008 put options.

SLM Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ SLM opened at $30.04 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37. SLM has a 12-month low of $19.39 and a 12-month high of $32.65. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $29.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $26.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.34, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.23.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last issued its quarterly 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 net margin of 20.73% and a return on equity of 31.66%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that SLM will post 3.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were issued a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 5th. SLM’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.62%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on SLM. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of SLM from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on SLM from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of SLM from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $31.45.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 40,000 shares of SLM 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $1,233,166.91. This trade represents a 48.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Boston Partners increased its stake in shares of SLM by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 12,246,797 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $338,889,000 after acquiring an additional 456,415 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its stake in SLM by 39.0% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,529,496 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $207,664,000 after acquiring an additional 2,111,699 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its position in SLM by 0.6% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,923,576 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $158,342,000 after acquiring an additional 43,927 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors acquired a new stake in shares of SLM in the fourth quarter valued at about $144,101,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in SLM by 7.0% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 5,175,645 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $142,744,000 after buying an additional 338,128 shares during the last quarter. 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.