Sapient Capital LLC Purchases New Holdings in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM)

Sapient Capital LLC acquired a new position in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 93,356 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,785,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new position in SLM during the fourth quarter worth about $7,133,000. Natixis Advisors L.P. raised its stake in SLM by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 487,212 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $9,315,000 after acquiring an additional 20,809 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of SLM by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 67,558 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,292,000 after acquiring an additional 2,055 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama boosted its stake in shares of SLM by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 283,392 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $5,418,000 after purchasing an additional 1,105 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC boosted its position in SLM by 46.4% in the fourth quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 2,330 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 739 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.94% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SLM has been the subject of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on SLM from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. TheStreet raised shares of SLM from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of SLM from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of SLM in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $25.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wedbush upped their price objective on SLM from $26.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $21.32.

SLM Stock Up 2.5 %

SLM traded up $0.53 during trading on Friday, hitting $22.01. The company had a trading volume of 1,211,396 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,376,093. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $21.10 and its 200 day moving average price is $18.52. SLM Co. has a one year low of $12.26 and a one year high of $22.37. The company has a market capitalization of $4.84 billion, a PE ratio of 6.88, a PEG ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.67.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.18. SLM had a return on equity of 45.65% and a net margin of 25.15%. The business had revenue of $837.72 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $376.43 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.47 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that SLM Co. will post 2.75 earnings per share for the current year.

SLM Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 6th will be paid a $0.11 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 5th. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.00%. SLM’s dividend payout ratio is 13.75%.

SLM declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, January 24th that permits the company to buyback $650.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the credit services provider to buy up to 14.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Jonathan Boyles sold 94,078 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.72, for a total value of $1,949,296.16. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 52,751 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,093,000.72. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.91% of the company’s stock.

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.