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

Natixis Advisors LLC lessened its stake in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) by 27.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 313,853 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 115,928 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in SLM were worth $8,656,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Private Trust Co. NA increased its holdings in shares of SLM by 86.4% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 971 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in shares of SLM in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of SLM by 32.2% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,849 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of SLM in the 4th quarter valued at about $86,000. Finally, Plato Investment Management Ltd purchased a new position in shares of SLM in the 4th quarter valued at about $114,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.94% of the company’s stock.

SLM Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of SLM stock opened at $29.87 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $6.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37. SLM Co. has a fifty-two week low of $19.39 and a fifty-two week high of $32.65. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $29.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $26.04.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that SLM Co. will post 3.07 EPS for the current year.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.74%. SLM’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.62%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SLM has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of SLM from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Compass Point raised their target price on shares of SLM from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of SLM from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $31.45.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 40,000 shares of SLM stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.57, for a total value of $1,142,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 43,163 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,233,166.91. The trade was a 48.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 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.