SLM (SLM) Scheduled to Post Quarterly Earnings on Wednesday

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) is scheduled to announce its earnings results after the market closes on Wednesday, April 24th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $0.98 per share for the quarter. Investors that are interested in registering for the company’s conference call can do so using this link.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.15). The firm had revenue of $725.66 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $379.20 million. SLM had a net margin of 20.65% and a return on equity of 36.86%. During the same period last year, the company earned ($0.33) EPS. On average, analysts expect SLM to post $3 EPS for the current fiscal year and $3 EPS for the next fiscal year.

SLM Trading Up 1.1 %

SLM stock opened at $21.32 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $20.79 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $18.06. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.21. The stock has a market cap of $4.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.16. SLM has a 12 month low of $12.26 and a 12 month high of $21.94.

SLM declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Wednesday, January 24th that authorizes the company to repurchase $650.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the credit services provider to purchase up to 14.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 6th will be issued a $0.11 dividend. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.06%. SLM’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.33%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SLM has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on SLM from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on SLM from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. Citigroup raised SLM from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $14.00 to $23.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. TheStreet raised SLM from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on SLM in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $25.00 target price for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $20.32.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Jonathan Boyles sold 94,078 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.72, for a total transaction of $1,949,296.16. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 52,751 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,093,000.72. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other SLM news, EVP Donna F. Vieira sold 12,308 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.27, for a total value of $249,483.16. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 126,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,564,155. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Jonathan Boyles sold 94,078 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.72, for a total value of $1,949,296.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 52,751 shares in the company, valued at $1,093,000.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.91% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.