SLM Corporation $SLM Shares Sold by EJF Capital LLC

Key Points

• EJF Capital LLC reduced its holdings in SLM Corporation by 40.2%, selling 20,200 shares and leaving it with approximately $884,000 worth of stock.
• Notable price targets for SLM shares were lifted by analysts, with Jefferies Financial Group and Barclays setting targets of $40.00 and $43.00, respectively, showing strong optimism about the stock.
• SLM Corporation reported earnings per share of $0.32 for the last quarter, missing expectations, while announcing a quarterly dividend of $0.13 per share with a yield of 1.7%.

EJF Capital LLC reduced its stake in shares of SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM - Free Report) by 40.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 30,103 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 20,200 shares during the period. EJF Capital LLC's holdings in SLM were worth $884,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. J.Safra Asset Management Corp purchased a new stake in SLM in the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S purchased a new stake in SLM in the 1st quarter worth approximately $45,000. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its stake in SLM by 37.7% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,714 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 469 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in SLM by 355.4% in the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,899 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 1,482 shares during the period. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in SLM in the 1st quarter worth approximately $62,000. 98.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

SLM Stock Down 2.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:SLM traded down $0.66 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $31.11. 1,846,413 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,765,836. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.02, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 1.35. The company has a market cap of $6.49 billion, a PE ratio of 15.63, a P/E/G ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.11. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $32.23 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $30.90. SLM Corporation has a twelve month low of $19.64 and a twelve month high of $34.97.

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

SLM Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 4th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. SLM's payout ratio is presently 26.13%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on SLM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of SLM from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $29.00 to $38.00 in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of SLM in a research note on Monday, August 25th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $38.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of SLM in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $40.00 price objective (up from $33.00) on shares of SLM in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of SLM from $38.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $35.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at SLM

In related news, EVP Kerri A. Palmer sold 55,000 shares of SLM stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.21, for a total transaction of $1,771,550.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 119,253 shares in the company, 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 can be accessed through this link. 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.