SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the ten ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $21.32.

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of SLM from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of SLM from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of SLM in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $25.00 price target on the stock. TheStreet raised shares of SLM from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Finally, Wedbush increased their price target on shares of SLM from $26.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday.

SLM Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of SLM opened at $21.93 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.21. SLM has a 12-month low of $12.26 and a 12-month high of $22.37. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $20.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $18.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.14, a P/E/G ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 1.16.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.18. SLM had a net margin of 20.65% and a return on equity of 36.86%. The firm had revenue of $837.72 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $376.43 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.47 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that SLM will post 2.72 EPS for the current year.

SLM declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Wednesday, January 24th that allows the company to buyback $650.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the credit services provider to purchase up to 14.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 6th will be given a dividend of $0.11 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 5th. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.01%. SLM’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Donna F. Vieira sold 12,308 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.27, for a total transaction of $249,483.16. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 126,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,564,155. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, SVP Jonathan Boyles sold 94,078 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.72, for a total transaction of $1,949,296.16. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 52,751 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,093,000.72. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Donna F. Vieira sold 12,308 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.27, for a total value of $249,483.16. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 126,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,564,155. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.91% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SLM

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in 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 valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 1,236 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of SLM by 81.4% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,328 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 596 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of SLM during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Neo Ivy Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of SLM during the 4th quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC raised its stake in shares of SLM by 46.4% during the 4th quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 2,330 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 739 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.