Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) Stock

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM - Get Free Report) had its price objective increased by analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $30.00 to $32.00 in a research note issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "market perform" rating on the credit services provider's stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods' price target indicates a potential upside of 10.31% from the company's previous close.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on SLM. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of SLM from $27.00 to $26.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of SLM from $26.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Compass Point increased their target price on SLM from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on SLM from $27.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $26.00 price target on shares of SLM in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $29.82.

SLM Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of SLM stock traded down $0.29 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $29.01. 5,580,619 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,886,175. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $27.18 and a 200-day moving average of $23.83. SLM has a 12 month low of $18.84 and a 12 month high of $31.49. The company has a market cap of $6.16 billion, a PE ratio of 10.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.21. 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 (NASDAQ:SLM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.56 by ($0.06). SLM had a return on equity of 35.92% and a net margin of 22.18%. As a group, equities analysts expect that SLM will post 2.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

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 stock was sold at an average price of $27.25, for a total transaction of $122,625.00. Following the sale, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of SLM

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Waldron Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in SLM in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new stake in SLM during the third quarter worth $31,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew 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 valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 1,094 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in SLM in the third quarter valued at $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 worth $101,000 after acquiring an additional 2,310 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.94% of the company's stock.

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.