Traders Buy High Volume of SLM Put Options (NASDAQ:SLM)

SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM - Get Free Report) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Stock traders acquired 5,628 put options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 458% compared to the typical volume of 1,008 put options.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other SLM news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 40,000 shares of the firm'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 sale, the director now owns 43,163 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,233,166.91. This trade represents a 48.10 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in SLM by 470.6% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,126,756 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $31,076,000 after purchasing an additional 929,292 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of SLM by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 34,709 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $957,000 after purchasing an additional 1,436 shares during the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in shares of SLM in the fourth quarter valued at $5,107,000. Invst LLC increased its stake in shares of SLM by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Invst LLC now owns 40,896 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,128,000 after buying an additional 703 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC bought a new position in shares of SLM in the fourth quarter valued at about $140,442,000. Institutional investors own 98.94% of the company's stock.

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SLM Price Performance

Shares of SLM stock traded down $0.83 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $28.90. 1,682,109 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,088,748. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $29.59 and a 200-day simple moving average of $26.45. 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 firm has a market cap of $6.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.91, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.23. SLM 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 quarterly earnings data 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%. Research analysts forecast that SLM will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current year.

SLM Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.80%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 5th. SLM's payout ratio is 19.62%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on SLM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of SLM from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Compass Point raised their price target on shares of SLM from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on SLM from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. 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.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $31.45.

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.