SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) Stake Raised by Hsbc Holdings PLC

Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its position in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM - Free Report) by 112.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 39,224 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 20,738 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC's holdings in SLM were worth $1,084,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Private Trust Co. NA raised its holdings in shares of SLM by 86.4% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 971 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 450 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of SLM by 32.2% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,849 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of SLM in the fourth quarter valued at $86,000. Plato Investment Management Ltd acquired a new stake in SLM during the 4th quarter valued at $114,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in SLM by 489.7% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 4,476 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $123,000 after buying an additional 3,717 shares during the period. 98.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

SLM Stock Performance

SLM traded up $0.39 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $31.52. 3,457,304 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,230,907. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37. The stock has a market cap of $6.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.89, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.05. SLM Co. has a 52 week low of $19.39 and a 52 week high of $32.65. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $28.35 and a 200 day moving average of $27.49.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM - Get Free Report) last released 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $359.83 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.27 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that SLM Co. will post 3.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 5th. SLM's payout ratio is currently 18.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on SLM shares. Barclays raised their target price on SLM from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $33.00 target price (up from $31.00) on shares of SLM in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of SLM from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, 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 research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $30.73.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 35,195 shares in the company, valued at $1,096,324.25. This trade represents a 7.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.