SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) Shares Acquired by Daiwa Securities Group Inc.

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) by 626.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 10,900 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 9,400 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in SLM were worth $238,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SLM. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in SLM by 81.4% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,328 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 596 shares in the last quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of SLM by 1,373.3% during the 1st quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,326 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 1,236 shares during the last quarter. SYSTM Wealth Solutions LLC grew its stake in SLM by 37.0% in the 1st quarter. SYSTM Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 1,828 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 494 shares during the period. Neo Ivy Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of SLM in the fourth quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC grew its holdings in SLM by 46.4% in the 4th 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 during the period. 98.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

SLM Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SLM opened at $21.91 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.67. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $20.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $20.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.85, a PEG ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.17. SLM Co. has a 52 week low of $12.26 and a 52 week high of $22.74.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $837.72 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $376.43 million. SLM had a net margin of 25.15% and a return on equity of 45.65%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.47 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that SLM Co. will post 2.8 earnings per share for the current year.

SLM Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 6th were paid a dividend of $0.11 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 6th. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.01%. SLM’s dividend payout ratio is currently 13.75%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on SLM from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of SLM from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on SLM from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of SLM from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $28.00 target price on shares of SLM in a report on Thursday, May 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, SLM presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $22.50.

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.