Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky Sells 212,156 Shares of SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM)

Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky cut its stake in shares of SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM - Free Report) by 61.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 132,200 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 212,156 shares during the quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky owned 0.06% of SLM worth $3,646,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of SLM. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its holdings in shares of SLM by 86.4% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 971 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in SLM by 32.2% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,849 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 450 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of SLM in the 4th quarter worth approximately $86,000. Plato Investment Management Ltd purchased a new position in shares of SLM during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $114,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in shares of SLM by 489.7% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 4,476 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $123,000 after buying an additional 3,717 shares during the period. 98.94% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

SLM Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:SLM traded up $0.34 on Tuesday, hitting $28.55. 1,463,062 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,197,023. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $28.39 and a 200-day simple moving average of $27.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37. The company has a market cap of $6.01 billion, a PE ratio of 10.76, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.05. SLM Co. has a 52 week low of $19.39 and a 52 week high of $32.65.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.21. SLM had a net margin of 20.73% and a return on equity of 31.66%. The business had revenue of $374.97 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $359.83 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.27 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that SLM Co. will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current year.

SLM Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 5th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.82%. SLM's dividend payout ratio is 18.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SLM has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Compass Point lifted their price target on shares of SLM from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of SLM from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $33.00 price objective (up from $31.00) on shares of SLM in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on SLM from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on SLM from $30.00 to $27.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, SLM presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $30.73.

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.