Amundi Grows Stake in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM)

Amundi grew its holdings in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) by 103.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 135,014 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 68,632 shares during the quarter. Amundi owned about 0.06% of SLM worth $3,712,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in SLM. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its position in shares of SLM by 86.4% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 971 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new stake in shares of SLM in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of SLM by 32.2% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,849 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of SLM in the 4th quarter valued at about $86,000. Finally, Plato Investment Management Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of SLM in the 4th quarter valued at about $114,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.94% of the company’s stock.

SLM Stock Up 3.2 %

SLM opened at $29.26 on Monday. SLM Co. has a 12 month low of $19.39 and a 12 month high of $32.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.04, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.23. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $29.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $25.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.27.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.50 earnings per share 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 analysts anticipate that SLM Co. will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SLM Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 5th. SLM’s payout ratio is 19.62%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on SLM shares. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays upped their target price on SLM from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on SLM from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Compass Point increased their price objective on SLM from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on SLM from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $31.45.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other SLM news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was 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 approximately $1,233,166.91. This trade represents a 48.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.