SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) Shares Purchased by Epacria Capital Partners LLC

Epacria Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) by 19.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 52,751 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,559 shares during the period. SLM accounts for approximately 0.8% of Epacria Capital Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. Epacria Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in SLM were worth $1,206,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund acquired a new stake in shares of SLM in the third quarter valued at approximately $754,000. Bridgewater Associates LP raised its position in SLM by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 370,727 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $8,479,000 after purchasing an additional 18,426 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in SLM by 42.5% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 71,892 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,644,000 after purchasing an additional 21,457 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in SLM during the 3rd quarter worth $268,000. Finally, Advantage Alpha Capital Partners LP grew its position in SLM by 62.9% during the 3rd quarter. Advantage Alpha Capital Partners LP now owns 177,840 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,067,000 after purchasing an additional 68,642 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.94% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of SLM from $27.00 to $26.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on SLM from $25.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Bank of America initiated coverage on SLM in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $27.00 target price on the stock. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 price target on shares of SLM in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $26.00 price objective on shares of SLM in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $25.45.

SLM Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ SLM opened at $27.20 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.16. SLM Co. has a 52 week low of $14.03 and a 52 week high of $28.22. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $23.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $21.92. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.21.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The credit services provider reported ($0.23) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.07 by ($0.30). The company had revenue of $652.64 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $363.40 million. SLM had a net margin of 22.18% and a return on equity of 35.92%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.11 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that SLM Co. will post 2.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

SLM Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 5th will be issued a $0.13 dividend. This is a positive change from SLM’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 5th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.91%. SLM’s dividend payout ratio is 15.33%.

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.