Advisory Services Network LLC Invests $261,000 in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM)

Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new position in shares of SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 9,453 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $261,000.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its holdings in shares of SLM by 86.4% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in SLM by 32.2% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,849 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of SLM in the fourth quarter valued at $86,000. Plato Investment Management Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of SLM during the fourth quarter valued at $114,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its position in SLM by 489.7% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 4,476 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $123,000 after purchasing an additional 3,717 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.94% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at SLM

In related news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 40,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 43,163 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,233,166.91. This represents a 48.10 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

SLM Stock Performance

NASDAQ SLM traded up $0.96 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $28.11. The company's stock had a trading volume of 740,338 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,185,809. SLM Co. has a 52 week low of $19.39 and a 52 week high of $32.65. The stock has a market cap of $5.91 billion, a PE ratio of 10.58, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $28.64 and a 200 day simple moving average of $27.06.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.56 by ($0.06). SLM had a return on equity of 31.66% and a net margin of 20.73%. Equities research analysts predict that SLM Co. will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 5th will be paid a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.85%. SLM's dividend payout ratio is currently 19.62%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of SLM from $30.00 to $27.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of SLM from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of SLM from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on SLM from $32.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, SLM presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $31.18.

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.