Helix Partners Management LP Invests $13.79 Million in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM)

Helix Partners Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 500,000 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $13,790,000. SLM comprises about 2.4% of Helix Partners Management LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest holding.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Boston Partners raised its holdings in SLM by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 12,246,797 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $338,889,000 after acquiring an additional 456,415 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its position in SLM by 0.6% during the third 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. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of SLM by 7.0% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 5,175,645 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $142,744,000 after acquiring an additional 338,128 shares in the last quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC purchased a new position in shares of SLM during the fourth quarter worth about $140,442,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of SLM by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,817,771 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $132,906,000 after purchasing an additional 55,443 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.94% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on SLM shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of SLM from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Compass Point increased their target price on SLM from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on SLM from $32.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on SLM from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Two equities 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 company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $31.45.

SLM Price Performance

SLM stock opened at $30.14 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $29.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $26.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.37, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.05. SLM Co. has a 12-month low of $19.39 and a 12-month high of $32.65.

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%. As a group, equities analysts predict that SLM Co. will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current year.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 5th. SLM’s payout ratio is currently 19.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 transaction of $1,142,800.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 43,163 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,233,166.91. The trade was a 48.10 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 1.20% 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.