Brokerages Set SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) PT at $25.45

Shares of SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM - Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the eleven ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $25.45.

Several research analysts have recently commented on SLM shares. Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $26.00 price objective on shares of SLM in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of SLM in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $27.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $26.00 price objective on shares of SLM in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of SLM from $27.00 to $26.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on SLM from $25.00 to $24.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 7th.

SLM Price Performance

SLM stock traded up $0.30 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $26.57. 1,971,588 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,308,870. The company's fifty day moving average is $23.91 and its 200-day moving average is $22.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.21, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 1.29. SLM has a 52 week low of $15.95 and a 52 week high of $28.22. The firm has a market cap of $5.64 billion, a PE ratio of 9.26, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.21.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The credit services provider reported ($0.23) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.07 by ($0.30). SLM had a return on equity of 35.92% and a net margin of 22.18%. The business had revenue of $652.64 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $363.40 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.11 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that SLM will post 2.73 EPS for the current year.

SLM Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 5th will be issued a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 5th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.96%. This is an increase from SLM's previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. SLM's payout ratio is currently 15.33%.

Insider Activity at SLM

In other SLM news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 4,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.25, for a total value of $122,625.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 83,130 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,265,292.50. The trade was a 5.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of SLM

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Empowered Funds LLC raised 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 worth $265,000 after buying an additional 526 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of SLM by 13.3% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,077 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $116,000 after acquiring an additional 594 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning lifted its stake in shares of 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 period. US Bancorp DE boosted its position in shares of SLM by 12.3% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 9,368 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $214,000 after purchasing an additional 1,029 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in SLM by 358.7% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,399 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,094 shares during the period. 98.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.