SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) Shares Purchased by Wellington Management Group LLP

Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM - Free Report) by 470.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,126,756 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 929,292 shares during the quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP owned approximately 0.53% of SLM worth $31,076,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SLM. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC acquired a new stake in shares of SLM during the 4th quarter worth about $140,442,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of SLM during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $68,603,000. Pertento Partners LLP purchased a new position in shares of SLM during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $48,451,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in SLM during the fourth quarter worth approximately $20,603,000. Finally, Boston Partners grew its stake in SLM by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 12,246,797 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $338,889,000 after acquiring an additional 456,415 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.94% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SLM has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on SLM from $32.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Compass Point increased their target price on SLM from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on SLM from $30.00 to $27.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of SLM from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of SLM from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, SLM currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $31.18.

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Insider Activity

In related 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 transaction 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

SLM Trading Down 1.2 %

SLM stock traded down $0.32 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $25.46. 2,519,268 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,167,321. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.27. SLM Co. has a fifty-two week low of $19.39 and a fifty-two week high of $32.65. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $29.17 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $26.86. The company has a market capitalization of $5.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.61, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.05.

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

SLM Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were given a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 5th. SLM's payout ratio is 19.62%.

SLM 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.