SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) Price Target Lowered to $27.00 at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) had its target price decreased by investment analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $30.00 to $27.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the credit services provider’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s target price would indicate a potential upside of 3.27% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other research firms have also commented on SLM. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of SLM from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Compass Point boosted their target price on shares of SLM from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on SLM from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $31.18.

SLM Price Performance

NASDAQ:SLM traded up $1.22 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $26.15. 856,842 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,108,131. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37. The company has a market capitalization of $5.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.05. SLM has a 12 month low of $19.39 and a 12 month high of $32.65. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $29.48 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $26.76.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.56 by ($0.06). SLM had a return on equity of 31.66% and a net margin of 20.73%. Sell-side analysts expect that SLM will post 3.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at SLM

In other SLM news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 40,000 shares of SLM stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.57, for a total value of $1,142,800.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 43,163 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,233,166.91. The trade was a 48.10 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of SLM

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of SLM. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of SLM by 3,400.9% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 235,959 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $6,930,000 after purchasing an additional 229,219 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of SLM by 470.6% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,126,756 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $31,076,000 after buying an additional 929,292 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of SLM by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 34,709 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $957,000 after acquiring an additional 1,436 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in shares of SLM during the 4th quarter valued at about $5,107,000. Finally, Invst LLC increased its stake in SLM by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Invst LLC now owns 40,896 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,128,000 after acquiring an additional 703 shares during the period. 98.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.