SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $31.45.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on SLM shares. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Compass Point upped their target price on shares of SLM from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on SLM from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on SLM from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th.

SLM Trading Up 3.2 %

Shares of SLM stock opened at $29.26 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.16 billion, a PE ratio of 11.04, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.23. SLM has a 1-year low of $19.39 and a 1-year high of $32.65. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $29.20 and its 200-day simple moving average is $25.88.

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, equities analysts anticipate that SLM will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current year.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be issued a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 5th. SLM’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.62%.

Insider Transactions at SLM

In other news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.57, for a total value of $1,142,800.00. Following 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 legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of SLM. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its holdings in SLM by 86.4% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 971 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in SLM in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of SLM by 32.2% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,849 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of SLM during the fourth quarter worth $86,000. Finally, Plato Investment Management Ltd purchased a new position in shares of SLM in the fourth quarter worth $114,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.