Robert S. Strong Sells 40,000 Shares of SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) Stock

SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) Director Robert S. Strong sold 40,000 shares of SLM 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 completion of the transaction, the director now 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

SLM Stock Down 2.8 %

Shares of SLM stock opened at $27.91 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $27.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $24.13. 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 company has a market capitalization of $5.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.53, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.21. SLM Co. has a 1-year low of $18.84 and a 1-year high of $31.49.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.56 by ($0.06). SLM had a net margin of 20.73% and a return on equity of 31.66%. As a group, research analysts forecast that SLM Co. will post 3.07 EPS for the current year.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.86%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 5th. SLM’s payout ratio is currently 19.62%.

Institutional Trading of SLM

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Waldron Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of SLM in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in shares of SLM in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of SLM by 358.7% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,399 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 1,094 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of SLM in the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of SLM in the 4th quarter worth $86,000. Institutional investors own 98.94% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SLM has been the subject of several research reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on SLM from $26.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $26.00 target price on shares of SLM in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on SLM from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays decreased their target price on SLM from $27.00 to $26.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Compass Point boosted their price objective on SLM from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $29.82.

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.