Analysts Set SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) PT at $25.45

SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $25.45.

SLM has been the topic of several research reports. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of SLM from $27.00 to $26.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $26.00 price target on shares of SLM in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of SLM in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $27.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of SLM from $24.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of SLM from $25.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 7th.

SLM Stock Performance

NASDAQ SLM opened at $24.47 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.21. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $22.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $21.69. SLM has a 1 year low of $13.93 and a 1 year high of $24.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.16.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The credit services provider reported ($0.23) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.07 by ($0.30). SLM had a return on equity of 35.92% and a net margin of 22.18%. The firm had revenue of $652.64 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $363.40 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.11 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that SLM will post 2.73 EPS for the current year.

SLM Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 5th will be given a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 5th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.13%. This is an increase from SLM’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. SLM’s payout ratio is 15.33%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of SLM by 7.5% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,762,328 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $108,936,000 after acquiring an additional 331,490 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp bought a new stake in SLM during the 3rd quarter valued at $200,000. Barclays PLC increased its stake in SLM by 77.8% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 273,785 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $6,261,000 after purchasing an additional 119,796 shares in the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd bought a new stake in SLM during the 3rd quarter valued at $777,000. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI increased its stake in SLM by 13.2% during the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 66,806 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,528,000 after purchasing an additional 7,816 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.94% 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.