Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Decreases Position in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc cut its stake in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM - Free Report) by 49.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 81,555 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 80,050 shares during the quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc's holdings in SLM were worth $2,249,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Ethic Inc. acquired a new stake in SLM in the 4th quarter valued at about $243,000. Duquesne Family Office LLC acquired a new position in shares of SLM in the fourth quarter worth $69,509,000. Epacria Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of SLM by 10.0% in the fourth quarter. Epacria Capital Partners LLC now owns 58,003 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,600,000 after acquiring an additional 5,252 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its stake in shares of SLM by 132.7% in the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 27,878 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $769,000 after acquiring an additional 15,900 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caxton Associates LP lifted its position in shares of SLM by 42.6% during the 4th quarter. Caxton Associates LP now owns 79,279 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $2,187,000 after purchasing an additional 23,703 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.94% of the company's stock.

SLM Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ SLM opened at $33.40 on Friday. SLM Co. has a 1 year low of $19.39 and a 1 year high of $33.88. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $28.84 and its 200 day moving average price is $27.95. The firm has a market cap of $7.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.05. 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 - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $1.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $374.97 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $359.83 million. SLM had a net margin of 20.73% and a return on equity of 31.66%. SLM's revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.27 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that SLM Co. will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current year.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 5th will be given a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 5th. SLM's payout ratio is currently 18.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SLM has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of SLM from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of SLM from $30.00 to $27.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $33.00 price target (up from $31.00) on shares of SLM in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of SLM from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. 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, SLM presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $31.18.

Insider Transactions at SLM

In other news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.15, for a total transaction of $93,450.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 35,195 shares in the company, valued at $1,096,324.25. This trade represents a 7.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

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.

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