Arnhold LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM)

Arnhold LLC trimmed its holdings in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM - Free Report) by 8.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,082,801 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 104,026 shares during the quarter. SLM comprises about 2.9% of Arnhold LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest position. Arnhold LLC owned approximately 0.51% of SLM worth $29,864,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Boston Partners lifted its stake in shares of SLM by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 12,246,797 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $338,889,000 after purchasing an additional 456,415 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of SLM by 39.0% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,529,496 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $207,664,000 after purchasing an additional 2,111,699 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors acquired a new position in shares of SLM in the 4th quarter valued at about $144,101,000. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in SLM by 7.0% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 5,175,645 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $142,744,000 after buying an additional 338,128 shares during the period. Finally, Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC acquired a new position in SLM during the 4th quarter worth approximately $140,442,000. 98.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 40,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.57, for a total value of $1,142,800.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 43,163 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,233,166.91. The trade was a 48.10 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Compass Point upped their price target on SLM from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $33.00 price target (up from $31.00) on shares of SLM in a research note on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped 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. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on SLM from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, SLM currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $30.73.

SLM Stock Up 1.7 %

SLM traded up $0.46 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $28.21. 2,284,235 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,199,746. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 1.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.94 billion, a PE ratio of 10.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $28.39 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $27.23. SLM Co. has a 1 year low of $19.39 and a 1 year high of $32.65.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $1.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $374.97 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $359.83 million. SLM had a net margin of 20.73% and a return on equity of 31.66%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.27 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that SLM Co. will post 3.07 EPS for the current year.

SLM Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 5th will be issued a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 5th. SLM's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.71%.

SLM 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.