Axa S.A. Trims Stock Holdings in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM)

AXA S.A. lessened its holdings in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM - Free Report) by 25.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 191,854 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 64,376 shares during the period. AXA S.A. owned about 0.09% of SLM worth $5,291,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Private Trust Co. NA grew its stake in shares of SLM by 86.4% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 971 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 450 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position 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 worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of SLM in the fourth quarter worth $86,000. Plato Investment Management Ltd bought a new stake in shares of SLM during the 4th quarter valued at $114,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in shares of SLM by 489.7% during 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.94% of the company's stock.

SLM Trading Up 0.7 %

SLM traded up $0.22 on Friday, hitting $32.18. The company had a trading volume of 1,806,473 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,241,191. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $28.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $27.64. 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 12-month low of $19.39 and a 12-month high of $32.65. The company has a market cap of $6.75 billion, a PE ratio of 12.14, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.05.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $1.40 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.21. SLM had a return on equity of 31.66% and a net margin of 20.73%. The firm had revenue of $374.97 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $359.83 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.27 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect 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, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 5th will be given a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 5th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.62%. SLM's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.71%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.15, for a total value of $93,450.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 35,195 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,096,324.25. The trade was a 7.85 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SLM has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $33.00 price target (up from $31.00) on shares of SLM in a report on Friday, April 25th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Compass Point boosted their target price on shares of SLM from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of SLM from $30.00 to $27.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, SLM currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $30.73.

SLM 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.