Sei Investments Co. Sells 384,272 Shares of SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM)

Sei Investments Co. cut its holdings in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM - Free Report) by 87.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 56,017 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 384,272 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co.'s holdings in SLM were worth $1,545,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Boston Partners grew its stake in shares of SLM by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 12,246,797 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $338,889,000 after acquiring an additional 456,415 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 43,927 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of SLM by 7.0% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 5,175,645 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $142,744,000 after purchasing an additional 338,128 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of SLM by 7.5% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,762,328 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $108,936,000 after purchasing an additional 331,490 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of SLM in the fourth quarter worth $20,603,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.94% of the company's stock.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Compass Point upped their target price on shares of SLM from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on SLM from $32.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on 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 boosted their price target on SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on SLM from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $31.18.

Insider Transactions at SLM

In other news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 40,000 shares of SLM stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.57, for a total value of $1,142,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 43,163 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,233,166.91. The trade was a 48.10 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

SLM Price Performance

SLM stock traded down $0.32 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $25.46. 2,519,268 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,167,321. 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 Co. has a 12 month low of $19.39 and a 12 month high of $32.65. The stock's fifty day moving average is $29.17 and its 200-day moving average is $26.86. The stock has a market cap of $5.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.61, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.05.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM - Get Free Report) last posted 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 net margin of 20.73% and a return on equity of 31.66%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that SLM Co. will post 3.07 EPS for the current year.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were paid a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.04%. SLM's payout ratio is currently 19.62%.

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.