Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Has $14.58 Million Stake in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM)

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM - Free Report) by 29.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 528,792 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 219,558 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.25% of SLM worth $14,584,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC bought a new stake in SLM in the 4th quarter valued at $140,442,000. Pertento Partners LLP acquired a new stake in shares of SLM in the 4th quarter valued at about $48,451,000. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its holdings in shares of SLM by 17.0% in the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 32,000 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $883,000 after purchasing an additional 4,661 shares in the last quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of SLM during the fourth quarter worth about $536,000. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of SLM during the fourth quarter worth about $68,603,000. Institutional investors own 98.94% of the company's stock.

SLM Stock Performance

NASDAQ SLM traded up $0.25 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $29.62. 1,738,584 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,088,969. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.27. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $29.64 and a 200-day moving average price of $26.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.18, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.23. SLM Co. has a fifty-two week low of $19.39 and a fifty-two week high of $32.65.

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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 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that SLM Co. will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced 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. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 5th. SLM's dividend payout ratio is presently 19.62%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on SLM shares. Barclays boosted their target price on SLM from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of SLM from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research 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 research report on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of SLM from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on SLM from $32.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, SLM currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $31.45.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the director now owns 43,163 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,233,166.91. This trade represents a 48.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.