Vest Financial LLC Decreases Holdings in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM)

Vest Financial LLC decreased its position in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM - Free Report) by 97.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 35,139 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 1,224,444 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC's holdings in SLM were worth $1,032,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in SLM by 32.2% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,849 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in SLM in the fourth quarter worth about $86,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in shares of SLM by 314.7% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 212,531 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $5,813,000 after buying an additional 161,283 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of SLM in the 4th quarter valued at about $218,000. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of SLM by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 30,336 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $871,000 after buying an additional 1,682 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.94% of the company's stock.

SLM Stock Performance

Shares of SLM stock traded down $0.05 on Thursday, reaching $31.63. 1,740,477 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,265,058. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $30.25 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $29.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.94, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.10. SLM Co. has a twelve month low of $19.39 and a twelve 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.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. SLM had a net margin of 20.73% and a return on equity of 31.66%. The business had revenue of $374.97 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $359.83 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.27 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that SLM Co. will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SLM Announces Dividend

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 issued a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 5th. SLM's payout ratio is presently 18.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SLM has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of SLM from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Barclays increased their price objective on SLM from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on SLM from $30.00 to $27.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $40.00 price target (up from $33.00) on shares of SLM in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $32.30.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 3,000 shares of SLM stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.15, for a total value of $93,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 35,195 shares in the company, valued at $1,096,324.25. The trade was a 7.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 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.