SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) Shares Sold by SG Americas Securities LLC

SG Americas Securities LLC reduced its position in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM - Free Report) by 85.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 33,621 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 195,122 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC's holdings in SLM were worth $643,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in SLM in the third quarter worth about $39,000. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in SLM by 257.3% in the fourth quarter. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,805 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 2,020 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in SLM by 51.9% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 5,632 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $77,000 after acquiring an additional 1,925 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE lifted its holdings in SLM by 112.6% in the second quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 6,038 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $99,000 after acquiring an additional 3,198 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in shares of SLM in the second quarter valued at approximately $112,000. Institutional investors own 98.94% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Jonathan Boyles sold 94,078 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.72, for a total transaction of $1,949,296.16. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 52,751 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,093,000.72. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Donna F. Vieira sold 12,308 shares of SLM stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.27, for a total value of $249,483.16. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 126,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,564,155. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jonathan Boyles sold 94,078 shares of SLM stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.72, for a total transaction of $1,949,296.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 52,751 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,093,000.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.91% of the stock is owned by insiders.

SLM Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:SLM traded down $0.30 during trading on Thursday, reaching $21.06. 775,312 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,347,966. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $20.47 and a 200 day simple moving average of $17.38. The firm has a market cap of $4.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 1.16. SLM Co. has a 1-year low of $12.26 and a 1-year high of $21.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.21.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.87 by ($0.15). The company had revenue of $725.66 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $379.20 million. SLM had a net margin of 20.65% and a return on equity of 36.86%. During the same period last year, the business earned ($0.33) EPS. Analysts anticipate that SLM Co. will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SLM declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, January 24th that authorizes the company to buyback $650.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the credit services provider to reacquire up to 14.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

SLM Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 4th were issued a dividend of $0.11 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.09%. SLM's dividend payout ratio is currently 18.33%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on SLM. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of SLM from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price target for the company from $14.00 to $20.00 in a research note on Friday, December 8th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of SLM from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of SLM in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $25.00 price target on the stock. Wedbush raised their price target on shares of SLM from $18.00 to $21.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 13th. Finally, Stephens raised their price objective on shares of SLM from $16.00 to $18.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $19.95.

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.