Helix Partners Management LP Takes $13.79 Million Position in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM)

Helix Partners Management LP purchased a new position in shares of SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 500,000 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $13,790,000. SLM comprises about 2.4% of Helix Partners Management LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest position. Helix Partners Management LP owned about 0.24% of SLM at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in SLM by 32.2% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,849 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA raised its holdings in shares of SLM by 86.4% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 971 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in SLM by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 33,825 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $933,000 after purchasing an additional 552 shares during the last quarter. Xponance Inc. lifted its stake in SLM by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 24,263 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $669,000 after purchasing an additional 729 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Truist Financial Corp grew its holdings in SLM by 11.9% during the fourth quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 9,052 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $250,000 after purchasing an additional 960 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 98.94% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on SLM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on SLM from $30.00 to $27.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of SLM from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Compass Point upped their price target 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, SLM presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $31.18.

Insider Activity at SLM

In related news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 40,000 shares of SLM stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.57, for a total transaction of $1,142,800.00. Following the sale, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

SLM Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SLM traded up $0.78 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $25.71. The stock had a trading volume of 1,279,957 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,116,456. The company's 50-day moving average price is $29.48 and its 200-day moving average price is $26.76. SLM Co. has a fifty-two week low of $19.39 and a fifty-two week high of $32.65. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37. The company has a market capitalization of $5.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.05.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.50 EPS 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%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that SLM Co. will post 3.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

SLM Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were paid 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 2.02%. SLM's payout ratio is currently 19.62%.

SLM Company 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.