Nisa Investment Advisors LLC Trims Holdings in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM)

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC reduced its position in shares of SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM - Free Report) by 66.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 39,768 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 79,133 shares during the quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in SLM were worth $1,097,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new stake in SLM in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Waldron Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in SLM during the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in SLM by 358.7% during 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. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of SLM in the third quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd raised its position in shares of SLM by 110.3% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 4,404 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $101,000 after purchasing an additional 2,310 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 98.94% of the company's stock.

SLM Price Performance

SLM stock traded down $0.06 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $28.58. 1,247,182 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,783,446. SLM Co. has a one year low of $18.84 and a one year high of $31.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.21, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 1.29. The stock has a market cap of $6.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.21. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $27.36 and a 200-day moving average price of $23.98.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM - Get Free Report) last released 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 22.18% and a return on equity of 35.92%. On average, equities analysts predict that SLM Co. will post 2.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be paid a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.82%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 5th. SLM's dividend payout ratio is currently 18.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling at SLM

In other SLM news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 4,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.25, for a total transaction of $122,625.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 83,130 shares in the company, valued at $2,265,292.50. This represents a 5.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on SLM shares. Compass Point raised their price objective on shares of SLM from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on SLM from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on SLM from $26.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Wedbush reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $26.00 price target on shares of SLM in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $29.82.

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.