UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Sells 36,731 Shares of SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM - Free Report) by 2.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,790,565 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 36,731 shares during the quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned 0.84% of SLM worth $49,384,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of SLM. Private Trust Co. NA raised its holdings in SLM by 86.4% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 971 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of SLM in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $86,000. Plato Investment Management Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of SLM in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $114,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its holdings in SLM by 489.7% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 4,476 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $123,000 after acquiring an additional 3,717 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.94% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays upped their price objective on SLM from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company raised 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 restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $40.00 price objective (up previously from $33.00) on shares of SLM in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of SLM from $30.00 to $27.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, SLM presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $31.82.

SLM Price Performance

NASDAQ:SLM traded down $0.57 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $32.32. 1,011,520 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,259,251. The company has a market capitalization of $6.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.05. SLM Co. has a 12 month low of $19.39 and a 12 month 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 simple moving average is $29.68 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $28.70.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $1.40 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $374.97 million during 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%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.27 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that SLM Co. will post 3.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 5th will be given a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 5th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.61%. SLM's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.71%.

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.