Deutsche Bank AG Trims Position in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM)

Deutsche Bank AG lessened its position in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM - Free Report) by 73.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 21,818 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 61,705 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG's holdings in SLM were worth $602,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Duquesne Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in shares of SLM in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $69,509,000. Epacria Capital Partners LLC raised its position in 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 raised its position in 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. Caxton Associates LP lifted its holdings in SLM by 42.6% in the fourth quarter. Caxton Associates LP now owns 79,279 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $2,187,000 after acquiring an additional 23,703 shares during the period. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV purchased a new stake in shares of SLM during the 4th quarter worth $235,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.94% of the company's stock.

SLM Price Performance

SLM traded down $0.51 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $32.38. 4,115,041 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,270,651. SLM Co. has a 1-year low of $19.39 and a 1-year high of $34.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.80 billion, a PE ratio of 12.22, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.27. The business's 50-day moving average price is $29.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $28.76.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. SLM had a net margin of 20.73% and a return on equity of 31.66%. The business had revenue of $374.97 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $359.83 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.27 EPS. The company's revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that SLM Co. will post 3.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 5th will be given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 5th. SLM's payout ratio is 18.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SLM has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $40.00 price target (up previously from $33.00) on shares of SLM in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of SLM from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped 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. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on SLM from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, SLM presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $31.82.

Insider Transactions at SLM

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