SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) Stake Raised by Cerity Partners LLC

Cerity Partners LLC increased its holdings in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM - Free Report) by 20.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 68,123 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 11,357 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC's holdings in SLM were worth $1,850,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of SLM. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its holdings in shares of SLM by 86.4% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 971 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 450 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in SLM by 32.2% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,849 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in SLM during the 4th quarter valued at about $86,000. Plato Investment Management Ltd bought a new position in SLM in the 4th quarter worth about $114,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in shares of SLM by 489.7% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 4,476 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $123,000 after purchasing an additional 3,717 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 98.94% of the company's stock.

SLM Price Performance

Shares of SLM traded up $0.67 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $26.71. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,338,577 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,187,765. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.27. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $28.72 and a 200 day moving average price of $27.06. SLM Co. has a fifty-two week low of $19.39 and a fifty-two week high of $32.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.08, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.05.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.50 earnings per share (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%. On average, research analysts predict that SLM Co. will post 3.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

SLM Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 5th. SLM's dividend payout ratio is 19.62%.

Insider Activity 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. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on SLM shares. Barclays boosted their price objective on SLM from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Royal Bank of Canada increased 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. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of SLM from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of SLM from $30.00 to $27.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Compass Point raised their target price on shares of SLM from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, SLM presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $31.18.

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.