SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) Given New $27.00 Price Target at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) had its price objective lowered by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $30.00 to $27.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the credit services provider’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price objective would suggest a potential downside of 0.92% from the company’s current price.

Several other research firms have also recently commented on SLM. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays upped their price objective on SLM from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on SLM from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on SLM from $32.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Compass Point lifted their price objective on shares of SLM from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $31.18.

SLM Trading Up 9.7 %

NASDAQ SLM opened at $27.25 on Tuesday. SLM has a one year low of $19.39 and a one year high of $32.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.27. The firm has a market cap of $5.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.28, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.05. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $29.29 and its 200-day moving average is $26.81.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.50 EPS 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 anticipate that SLM will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at SLM

In other SLM 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SLM

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its position in SLM by 86.4% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 971 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of SLM by 32.2% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,849 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in SLM during the 4th quarter worth approximately $86,000. Plato Investment Management Ltd bought a new stake in SLM in the 4th quarter valued at $114,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in SLM by 489.7% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 4,476 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $123,000 after buying an additional 3,717 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.94% of the company’s stock.

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.