Insider Selling: SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) Director Sells 40,000 Shares of Stock

SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM - Get Free Report) Director Robert S. Strong sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.57, for a total transaction of $1,142,800.00. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

SLM Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ SLM traded up $0.10 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $28.01. 1,523,671 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,642,984. SLM Co. has a 12 month low of $18.84 and a 12 month high of $31.49. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $27.64 and a 200-day moving average price of $24.17. 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 cap of $5.95 billion, a PE ratio of 10.57, a PEG ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.22.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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 return on equity of 31.66% and a net margin of 20.73%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that SLM Co. will post 3.07 EPS 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 issued a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.86%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 5th. SLM's dividend payout ratio is presently 19.62%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SLM has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of SLM from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company upped 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. Compass Point boosted their price target on SLM from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays reduced their price objective on SLM from $27.00 to $26.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, SLM presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $29.82.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On SLM

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of SLM. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of SLM by 32.2% in the fourth 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 period. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in SLM by 4.8% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 11,594 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $265,000 after buying an additional 526 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings 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 worth $933,000 after buying an additional 552 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in SLM by 13.3% during the 3rd 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 last quarter. Finally, Creative Planning lifted its stake in SLM by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 18,708 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $428,000 after acquiring an additional 942 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.94% of the company's stock.

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.