Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC acquired a new stake in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 5,092,179 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $140,442,000. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC owned about 2.40% of SLM at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in SLM by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,758,057 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $40,207,000 after acquiring an additional 15,252 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC increased its holdings in SLM by 150.2% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 56,766 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,298,000 after buying an additional 34,079 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of SLM in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $268,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in SLM by 42.5% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 71,892 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,644,000 after purchasing an additional 21,457 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund acquired a new position in SLM in the third quarter worth $754,000. 98.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
SLM Price Performance
NASDAQ:SLM traded down $2.36 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $27.78. 954,464 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,087,951. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $29.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $26.64. 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 company has a market capitalization of $5.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.48, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.05. SLM Co. has a one year low of $19.39 and a one year high of $32.65.
SLM (NASDAQ:SLM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.50 earnings per share 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that SLM Co. will post 3.07 EPS for the current year.
SLM Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 5th were issued a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.87%. SLM's payout ratio is currently 19.62%.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other SLM news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 40,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 43,163 shares in the company, valued at $1,233,166.91. This trade represents a 48.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of SLM from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on SLM from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Compass Point increased their target price on SLM from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of SLM from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $31.45.
View Our Latest Research Report on SLM
About SLM
(
Free Report)
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.
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