SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) Stock Price Expected to Rise, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Analyst Says

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) had its price target hoisted by research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $29.00 to $30.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the credit services provider’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s target price points to a potential upside of 3.41% from the company’s current price.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on SLM from $26.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of SLM from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Barclays dropped their price objective 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. Finally, Compass Point increased their target price on shares of SLM from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $29.82.

SLM Stock Down 1.0 %

NASDAQ:SLM opened at $29.01 on Friday. SLM has a 52 week low of $18.84 and a 52 week high of $31.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.21. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $27.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $23.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.21.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by ($0.06). SLM had a return on equity of 35.92% and a net margin of 22.18%. Research analysts anticipate that SLM will post 2.72 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at SLM

In other SLM news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 4,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.25, for a total transaction of $122,625.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 83,130 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,265,292.50. The trade was a 5.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SLM. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in SLM by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,923,576 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $158,342,000 after buying an additional 43,927 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of SLM in the 3rd quarter worth about $623,000. Edgestream Partners L.P. bought a new position in shares of SLM during the third quarter worth about $3,250,000. Advantage Alpha Capital Partners LP grew its stake in SLM by 62.9% in the third quarter. Advantage Alpha Capital Partners LP now owns 177,840 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,067,000 after purchasing an additional 68,642 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in SLM during the third quarter valued at approximately $268,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.94% of the company’s stock.

About SLM

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.