BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in shares of SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM - Free Report) by 42.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 71,892 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 21,457 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets' holdings in SLM were worth $1,644,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Waldron Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in SLM during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake 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 valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,094 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in SLM in the third quarter worth about $35,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in SLM in the 2nd quarter valued at about $60,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its position in SLM by 110.3% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 4,404 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $101,000 after buying an additional 2,310 shares in the last quarter. 98.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
SLM Price Performance
Shares of SLM stock traded up $0.30 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $26.57. 1,971,588 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,308,870. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $23.91 and a 200-day simple moving average of $22.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.21, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.27. The firm has a market cap of $5.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.26, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.21. SLM Co. has a 52 week low of $15.95 and a 52 week high of $28.22.
SLM (NASDAQ:SLM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The credit services provider reported ($0.23) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.07 by ($0.30). SLM had a net margin of 22.18% and a return on equity of 35.92%. The firm had revenue of $652.64 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $363.40 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.11 EPS. Research analysts forecast that SLM Co. will post 2.73 earnings per share for the current year.
SLM Increases Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 5th will be paid a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 5th. This is a positive change from SLM's previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.96%. SLM's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.33%.
Insider Activity at SLM
In other SLM news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.25, for a total value of $122,625.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 83,130 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,265,292.50. This trade represents a 5.14 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Analyst Ratings Changes
SLM has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of SLM from $27.00 to $26.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Bank of America initiated coverage on SLM in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $27.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $26.00 target price on shares of SLM in a report on Thursday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of SLM from $25.00 to $24.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Wedbush reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $26.00 target price on shares of SLM in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $25.45.
Check Out 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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