SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM - Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the eleven analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $31.45.

SLM has been the topic of several analyst reports. Compass Point increased their target price on shares of SLM from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays raised their price target on SLM from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of SLM from $32.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of SLM from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th.

SLM Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ SLM traded down $0.24 during trading on Monday, hitting $29.87. The company had a trading volume of 3,640,091 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,949,879. The company has a market cap of $6.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.27, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.23. SLM has a 52 week low of $19.39 and a 52 week high of $32.65. The business's 50-day moving average is $29.29 and its 200 day moving average is $26.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 1.32.

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SLM (NASDAQ:SLM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.50 earnings per share (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%. Equities research analysts predict that SLM will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.74%. SLM's dividend payout ratio is presently 19.62%.

Insider Activity at SLM

In other news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 40,000 shares of the firm's 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 transaction, 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SLM

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake 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 acquiring an additional 526 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of SLM during the third quarter valued at approximately $623,000. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. purchased a new position in shares of SLM during the third quarter valued at approximately $224,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of SLM by 0.9% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,758,057 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $40,207,000 after buying an additional 15,252 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in SLM by 150.2% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 56,766 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,298,000 after acquiring an additional 34,079 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.94% of the company's stock.

About SLM

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.