SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) Shares Acquired by LGT Fund Management Co Ltd.

LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. raised its position in shares of SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) by 10.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,023 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,023 shares during the quarter. LGT Fund Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in SLM were worth $304,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Private Trust Co. NA increased its holdings in SLM by 86.4% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 971 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new position in shares of SLM in the third quarter worth about $31,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of SLM in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of SLM by 32.2% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,849 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 450 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of SLM during the 4th quarter worth approximately $86,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.94% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other SLM news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 40,000 shares of SLM stock in a transaction dated 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 1.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SLM has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on SLM from $26.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of SLM from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report 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 report on Friday, January 24th. Compass Point raised their price objective on shares of SLM from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Barclays boosted 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, SLM presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $30.91.

SLM Trading Down 3.1 %

Shares of SLM stock opened at $29.26 on Tuesday. SLM Co. has a 52-week low of $19.39 and a 52-week high of $32.65. The stock has a market cap of $6.16 billion, a PE ratio of 11.04, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.22. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $28.99 and a 200-day moving average of $25.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 1.32.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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, sell-side analysts forecast that SLM Co. will post 3.07 EPS for the current year.

SLM Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be paid 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 payout ratio is 19.62%.

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.