SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) Price Target Lowered to $27.00 at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM - Get Free Report) had its target price lowered by equities researchers at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $30.00 to $27.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "neutral" rating on the credit services provider's stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s price target suggests a potential upside of 6.05% from the company's current price.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on SLM. Barclays boosted their target price on SLM from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Compass Point upped their price objective on shares of SLM from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, SLM has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $31.18.

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SLM Stock Down 1.2 %

SLM traded down $0.32 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $25.46. 2,519,268 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,167,321. The stock has a market cap of $5.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 1.32. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $29.17 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $26.86. SLM has a twelve month low of $19.39 and a twelve month high of $32.65.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other SLM news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 40,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.57, for a total value of $1,142,800.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 43,163 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,233,166.91. The trade was a 48.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of SLM

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of SLM. Private Trust Co. NA increased its stake in SLM by 86.4% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 971 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in SLM by 32.2% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,849 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in SLM during the 4th quarter worth approximately $86,000. Plato Investment Management Ltd acquired a new stake in SLM in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $114,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 3,717 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.94% of the company's stock.

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.