SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) Shares Sold by Farther Finance Advisors LLC

Farther Finance Advisors LLC decreased its position in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) by 24.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 15,273 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 4,999 shares during the quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC’s holdings in SLM were worth $421,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of SLM. Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of SLM in the fourth quarter valued at $536,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its position in shares of SLM by 12.5% in the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 50,489 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,392,000 after acquiring an additional 5,596 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its position in shares of SLM by 32.6% in the fourth quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 36,101 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $996,000 after acquiring an additional 8,879 shares in the last quarter. Amundi lifted its position in shares of SLM by 103.4% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 135,014 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,712,000 after acquiring an additional 68,632 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Callan Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in shares of SLM in the fourth quarter valued at $278,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.94% of the company’s stock.

SLM Stock Performance

NASDAQ SLM opened at $29.26 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.04, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.23. SLM Co. has a 1-year low of $19.39 and a 1-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 business’s 50-day simple moving average is $29.20 and its 200-day simple moving average is $25.88.

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 net margin of 20.73% and a return on equity of 31.66%. Equities analysts predict that SLM Co. will post 3.07 EPS for the current year.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.78%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 5th. SLM’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 40,000 shares of the business’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 transaction of $1,142,800.00. Following the transaction, 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 is accessible through the SEC website. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on SLM shares. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “outperform” 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 stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on SLM from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays increased their target price on SLM from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on SLM from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $31.45.

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.