SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) Receives $27.27 Average PT from Brokerages

SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $27.27.

A number of research firms recently commented on SLM. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 target price on shares of SLM in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a “market perform” rating and set a $30.00 price objective (up from $27.00) on shares of SLM in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $26.00 price objective on shares of SLM in a report on Thursday, October 24th. 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. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on shares of SLM in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $27.00 price target on the stock.

SLM Trading Up 3.0 %

NASDAQ SLM opened at $28.17 on Wednesday. SLM has a 52 week low of $18.04 and a 52 week high of $28.74. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $25.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $23.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.21. The firm has a market cap of $5.98 billion, a PE ratio of 9.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 1.21.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The credit services provider reported ($0.23) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.07 by ($0.30). SLM had a return on equity of 35.92% and a net margin of 22.18%. The business had revenue of $652.64 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $363.40 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.11 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that SLM will post 2.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

SLM Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 5th were paid a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 5th. This is an increase from SLM’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.85%. SLM’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.12%.

Insider Activity at SLM

In other SLM news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 4,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.25, for a total transaction of $122,625.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 83,130 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,265,292.50. This trade represents a 5.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SLM

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Waldron Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of SLM in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new stake in SLM during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of SLM by 358.7% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,399 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,094 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of SLM during the third quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of SLM in the second quarter valued at approximately $60,000. 98.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.