SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) Receives $25.45 Consensus Price Target from Analysts

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

Several brokerages have issued reports on SLM. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 price target on shares of SLM in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 target price on shares of SLM in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. 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. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of SLM in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $27.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on SLM from $25.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th.

SLM Stock Down 0.1 %

SLM stock opened at $24.02 on Tuesday. SLM has a fifty-two week low of $13.93 and a fifty-two week high of $24.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.10 billion, a PE ratio of 8.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.16. The company’s 50-day moving average is $22.38 and its 200-day moving average is $21.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.21, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.27.

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

SLM Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 5th. This is a positive change from SLM’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. SLM’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.12%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Waldron Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in SLM in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new position in shares of SLM in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased 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 valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,094 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of SLM during the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of SLM during the 2nd quarter worth $60,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.