Nuveen Asset Management LLC Sells 21,146 Shares of SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM)

Nuveen Asset Management LLC lessened its position in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM - Free Report) by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 564,014 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 21,146 shares during the period. Nuveen Asset Management LLC owned 0.27% of SLM worth $15,556,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 450 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in 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. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in SLM during the fourth quarter valued at $86,000. Plato Investment Management Ltd acquired a new stake in SLM during the 4th quarter worth about $114,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in shares of SLM by 489.7% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 4,476 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $123,000 after purchasing an additional 3,717 shares during the period. 98.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on SLM from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $40.00 target price (up from $33.00) on shares of SLM in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on SLM from $30.00 to $27.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on SLM from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $31.82.

SLM Stock Down 1.2%

SLM stock traded down $0.39 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $32.50. 715,926 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,258,161. SLM Co. has a 52-week low of $19.39 and a 52-week high of $34.55. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37. The business's 50-day moving average price is $29.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $28.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.27, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $374.97 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $359.83 million. SLM had a return on equity of 31.66% and a net margin of 20.73%. The company's revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.27 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that SLM Co. will post 3.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 5th will be given a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 5th. SLM's dividend payout ratio is 18.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling at SLM

In related news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.15, for a total value of $93,450.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 35,195 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,096,324.25. This represents a 7.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

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.