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

Shares of SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $31.18.

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Compass Point boosted their price objective on shares of SLM from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on SLM from $30.00 to $27.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. 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. Barclays raised their price target on SLM from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of SLM from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th.

Insider Activity at SLM

In other news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.57, for a total value of $1,142,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 43,163 shares of the company’s stock, 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 filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of SLM

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital Research Global Investors acquired a new stake in SLM during the fourth quarter worth approximately $144,101,000. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC bought a new stake in shares of SLM in the 4th quarter valued at $140,442,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of SLM during the 4th quarter valued at $76,362,000. Duquesne Family Office LLC bought a new position in SLM during the fourth quarter worth $69,509,000. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in SLM in the fourth quarter valued at $68,603,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.94% of the company’s stock.

SLM Stock Down 5.4 %

SLM stock opened at $25.78 on Friday. SLM has a twelve month low of $19.39 and a twelve month high of $32.65. The stock has a market cap of $5.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.73, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.05. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $29.24 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $26.84. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.50 earnings per share (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%. As a group, analysts expect that SLM will post 3.07 EPS for the current 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 dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 5th. SLM’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.