SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) Shares Sold by AXQ Capital LP

AXQ Capital LP cut its holdings in shares of SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) by 10.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 29,240 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 3,347 shares during the period. AXQ Capital LP’s holdings in SLM were worth $806,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in SLM in the 4th quarter worth approximately $20,603,000. Boston Partners grew its stake in shares of SLM by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 12,246,797 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $338,889,000 after acquiring an additional 456,415 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of SLM by 7.0% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 5,175,645 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $142,744,000 after acquiring an additional 338,128 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of SLM by 7.5% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,762,328 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $108,936,000 after purchasing an additional 331,490 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Perpetual Ltd purchased a new stake in SLM in the fourth quarter valued at $6,488,000. 98.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at SLM

In related news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 40,000 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the director now directly owns 43,163 shares in the company, valued at $1,233,166.91. This represents a 48.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on SLM shares. 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, January 24th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of SLM from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Compass Point increased their price target on shares of SLM from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of SLM from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $31.45.

SLM Price Performance

NASDAQ SLM opened at $29.70 on Friday. SLM Co. has a 12-month low of $19.39 and a 12-month high of $32.65. 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 firm’s 50 day moving average is $29.40 and its 200-day moving average is $26.09. The company has a market capitalization of $6.25 billion, a PE ratio of 11.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.23.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last announced 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 net margin of 20.73% and a return on equity of 31.66%. Equities research analysts anticipate that SLM Co. will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.75%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 5th. SLM’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.62%.

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.