SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) Shares Acquired by Bridgewater Associates LP

Bridgewater Associates LP raised its position in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM - Free Report) by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 370,727 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 18,426 shares during the period. Bridgewater Associates LP owned approximately 0.17% of SLM worth $8,479,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of SLM by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 11,594 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $265,000 after purchasing an additional 526 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in SLM by 13.3% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,077 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $116,000 after buying an additional 594 shares during the period. Creative Planning increased its holdings in SLM by 5.3% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 18,708 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $428,000 after buying an additional 942 shares in the last quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of SLM by 9.9% during the 1st quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 11,017 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $240,000 after acquiring an additional 990 shares during the period. Finally, US Bancorp DE boosted its stake in shares of SLM by 12.3% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 9,368 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $214,000 after acquiring an additional 1,029 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.94% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SLM has been the topic of a number of research reports. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of SLM from $27.00 to $26.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of SLM from $25.00 to $24.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $26.00 target price on shares of SLM in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $26.00 price target on shares of SLM in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on SLM in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $27.00 price objective on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, SLM currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $25.45.

SLM Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of SLM stock traded up $0.18 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $27.38. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,098,867 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,844,313. 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 company has a market capitalization of $5.81 billion, a PE ratio of 9.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.16. The business has a fifty day moving average of $23.35 and a 200 day moving average of $21.96. SLM Co. has a 1-year low of $14.64 and a 1-year high of $28.22.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The credit services provider reported ($0.23) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.07 by ($0.30). The firm had revenue of $652.64 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $363.40 million. SLM had a net margin of 22.18% and a return on equity of 35.92%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.11 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that SLM Co. will post 2.73 EPS for the current year.

SLM Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 5th will be given a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.90%. This is a positive change from SLM's previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 5th. SLM's dividend payout ratio is presently 15.33%.

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.