8,513 Shares in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) Acquired by Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV acquired a new position in shares of SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 8,513 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $235,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Boston Partners boosted its holdings in shares of SLM by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 12,246,797 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $338,889,000 after acquiring an additional 456,415 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its holdings in SLM by 39.0% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,529,496 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $207,664,000 after buying an additional 2,111,699 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors bought a new stake in shares of SLM during the 4th quarter worth $144,101,000. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of SLM by 7.0% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 5,175,645 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $142,744,000 after buying an additional 338,128 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC acquired a new position in SLM in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $140,442,000. 98.94% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

SLM Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of SLM stock traded down $0.20 on Tuesday, hitting $33.60. 1,026,962 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,250,723. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.68, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.05. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $29.05 and its 200 day simple moving average is $28.20. SLM Co. has a one year low of $19.39 and a one year high of $33.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 1.32.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM - Get Free Report) last issued 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. The firm had revenue of $374.97 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $359.83 million. SLM had a return on equity of 31.66% and a net margin of 20.73%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.27 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that SLM Co. will post 3.07 EPS for the current year.

SLM Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 5th will be paid a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 5th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.55%. SLM's payout ratio is 18.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other 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 of the company's stock, valued at $1,096,324.25. The trade was a 7.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on SLM shares. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on SLM from $30.00 to $27.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Compass Point upped their target price on SLM from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $33.00 target price (up previously from $31.00) on shares of SLM in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $31.18.

SLM Company 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.