AQR Capital Management LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in SLM Corporation $SLM

AQR Capital Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM - Free Report) by 33.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,033,764 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 511,965 shares during the quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC owned 0.49% of SLM worth $29,597,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC bought a new position in SLM during the first quarter valued at $277,704,000. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC bought a new position in SLM during the 4th quarter valued at about $140,442,000. M.D. Sass LLC bought a new position in SLM during the 1st quarter valued at about $37,317,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in SLM by 470.6% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,126,756 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $31,076,000 after purchasing an additional 929,292 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of SLM by 797.4% during the fourth quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 704,971 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $19,443,000 after buying an additional 626,412 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.94% of the company's stock.

SLM Stock Down 2.5%

SLM stock traded down $0.74 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $28.29. 1,520,505 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,528,002. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.02, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 1.35. SLM Corporation has a 12 month low of $21.05 and a 12 month high of $34.97. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $31.92 and a two-hundred day moving average of $30.86. The company has a market cap of $5.90 billion, a PE ratio of 14.21, a P/E/G ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.11.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The credit services provider reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.49 by ($0.17). SLM had a net margin of 15.46% and a return on equity of 21.93%. The business had revenue of $403.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $370.26 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.11 earnings per share. SLM's revenue for the quarter was down 21.4% on a year-over-year basis. SLM has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.000-3.100 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that SLM Corporation will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 4th will be issued a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 4th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. SLM's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.13%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SLM has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised SLM from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their target price for the company from $29.00 to $38.00 in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating on shares of SLM in a report on Monday, July 14th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $40.00 price target (up from $33.00) on shares of SLM in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Barclays upped their target price on shares of SLM from $38.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of SLM from $33.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $35.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Kerri A. Palmer sold 55,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.21, for a total value of $1,771,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 119,253 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,841,139.13. The trade was a 31.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

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.