SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) Shares Acquired by Ieq Capital LLC

Ieq Capital LLC raised its position in shares of SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM - Free Report) by 176.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 37,571 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 23,999 shares during the quarter. Ieq Capital LLC's holdings in SLM were worth $1,036,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Creative Planning raised its stake in SLM by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 18,708 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $428,000 after purchasing an additional 942 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of SLM by 358.7% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,399 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 1,094 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in shares of SLM by 294.9% in the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 51,248 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,172,000 after buying an additional 38,269 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of SLM by 2,187.0% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 66,254 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,515,000 after buying an additional 63,357 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in SLM by 194.7% during the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 33,273 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $761,000 after acquiring an additional 21,984 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.94% of the company's stock.

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Insider Transactions at SLM

In related news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 40,000 shares of the firm'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 sale, the director now owns 43,163 shares of the company's stock, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

SLM Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of SLM traded up $0.07 during trading on Friday, reaching $30.19. 3,492,678 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,768,634. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $28.91 and a 200-day simple moving average of $25.20. The stock has a market cap of $6.35 billion, a PE ratio of 11.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.22. SLM Co. has a twelve month low of $19.39 and a twelve month 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.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.56 by ($0.06). SLM had a net margin of 20.73% and a return on equity of 31.66%. On average, analysts anticipate that SLM Co. will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current year.

SLM Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be paid a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.72%. SLM's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.62%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on SLM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of SLM from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on SLM from $26.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Compass Point boosted their price objective on SLM from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on SLM from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, SLM currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $30.91.

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.