SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) Position Boosted by US Bancorp DE

US Bancorp DE boosted its holdings in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) by 12.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,368 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,029 shares during the quarter. US Bancorp DE’s holdings in SLM were worth $214,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SLM. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of SLM by 13.3% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,077 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $116,000 after acquiring an additional 594 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of SLM by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 21,959 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $478,000 after buying an additional 664 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning lifted its holdings in shares of SLM by 5.3% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 18,708 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $428,000 after buying an additional 942 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in SLM by 9.9% in the 1st quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 11,017 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $240,000 after acquiring an additional 990 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in SLM by 358.7% during the third 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. Institutional investors own 98.94% of the company’s stock.

SLM Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:SLM opened at $24.02 on Friday. SLM Co. has a 12-month low of $13.93 and a 12-month high of $24.59. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.16. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $22.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $21.67.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The credit services provider reported ($0.23) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.07 by ($0.30). SLM had a net margin of 22.18% and a return on equity of 35.92%. The firm had revenue of $652.64 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $363.40 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.11 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that SLM Co. will post 2.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

SLM Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 5th will be issued a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 5th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.16%. This is an increase from SLM’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. SLM’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.12%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America initiated coverage on SLM in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $27.00 price target for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of SLM from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of SLM from $27.00 to $26.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of SLM from $24.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on SLM from $25.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $25.45.

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.