Pertento Partners LLP Invests $48.45 Million in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM)

Pertento Partners LLP acquired a new stake in shares of SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 1,756,745 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $48,451,000. SLM accounts for about 4.1% of Pertento Partners LLP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. Pertento Partners LLP owned 0.83% of SLM at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of SLM by 0.6% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,923,576 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $158,342,000 after buying an additional 43,927 shares during the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. bought a new stake in SLM in the 3rd quarter valued at $3,250,000. Amundi lifted its stake in SLM by 103.4% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 135,014 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $3,712,000 after purchasing an additional 68,632 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of SLM during the 3rd quarter valued at about $268,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of SLM by 136.9% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 38,618 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $884,000 after purchasing an additional 22,315 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.94% of the company's stock.

SLM Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ SLM traded up $0.47 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $29.37. The company had a trading volume of 1,936,446 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,088,140. SLM Co. has a 52 week low of $19.39 and a 52 week high of $32.65. The business's 50-day moving average is $29.59 and its 200-day moving average is $26.49. The stock has a market cap of $6.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37.

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

SLM Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.77%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 5th. SLM's payout ratio is 19.62%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on SLM from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of SLM from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of SLM from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, SLM currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $31.45.

Insider Activity

In other SLM news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 40,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director now owns 43,163 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,233,166.91. This trade represents a 48.10 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

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.