XTX Topco Ltd Takes Position in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM)

XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 33,985 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $777,000.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. CWM LLC raised its stake in SLM by 170.0% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 14,917 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $310,000 after buying an additional 9,393 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of SLM in the 2nd quarter worth about $235,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of SLM by 45.7% during the 2nd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 166,538 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $3,462,000 after purchasing an additional 52,247 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its holdings in SLM by 119.9% during the 2nd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 12,979 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $270,000 after purchasing an additional 7,076 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of SLM during the second quarter valued at about $60,000. Institutional investors own 98.94% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America started coverage on shares of SLM in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. They set a "buy" rating and a $27.00 price target for the company. Wedbush restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $26.00 price objective on shares of SLM in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of SLM from $27.00 to $26.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a "market perform" rating and set a $30.00 price target (up from $27.00) on shares of SLM in a research note on Monday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of SLM from $24.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, SLM presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $26.00.

SLM Price Performance

NASDAQ SLM traded up $0.75 during trading on Thursday, reaching $27.23. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,574,578 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,854,524. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $24.15 and a 200 day moving average of $22.32. SLM Co. has a one year low of $17.14 and a one year high of $28.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.78 billion, a PE ratio of 9.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.21, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.27.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The credit services provider reported ($0.23) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.07 by ($0.30). SLM had a net margin of 22.18% and a return on equity of 35.92%. The company had revenue of $652.64 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $363.40 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.11 earnings per share. Analysts expect that SLM Co. will post 2.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

SLM Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 5th will be paid a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 5th. This is a boost from SLM's previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. SLM's dividend payout ratio is currently 18.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling at SLM

In related news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 4,500 shares of SLM stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.25, for a total value of $122,625.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 83,130 shares in the company, valued at $2,265,292.50. This trade represents a 5.14 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.20% 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.