93,356 Shares in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) Bought by Sapient Capital LLC

Sapient Capital LLC purchased a new position in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 93,356 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,785,000.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of SLM. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in SLM in the third quarter valued at approximately $713,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its holdings in shares of SLM by 13.6% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 10,266 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $196,000 after purchasing an additional 1,233 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its position in shares of SLM by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 48,610 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $929,000 after purchasing an additional 995 shares during the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale grew its stake in shares of SLM by 25.5% during the third quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 155,595 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $2,092,000 after purchasing an additional 31,595 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund grew its stake in shares of SLM by 31.2% during the third quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 684,103 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $9,317,000 after purchasing an additional 162,853 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.94% of the company's stock.

SLM Stock Performance

SLM traded up $0.53 on Friday, hitting $22.01. 1,211,396 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,376,093. SLM Co. has a 12-month low of $12.26 and a 12-month high of $22.37. The company has a 50 day moving average of $21.10 and a 200-day moving average of $18.52. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.84 billion, a PE ratio of 6.88, a PEG ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.17.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.18. SLM had a return on equity of 45.65% and a net margin of 25.15%. The business had revenue of $837.72 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $376.43 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.47 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that SLM Co. will post 2.75 earnings per share for the current year.

SLM Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 6th will be issued a $0.11 dividend. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.00%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 5th. SLM's payout ratio is 13.75%.

SLM declared that its board has authorized a share buyback 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 purchase up to 14.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on SLM from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Citigroup raised SLM from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the company from $14.00 to $23.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of SLM from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Wedbush boosted their price objective on shares of SLM from $26.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of SLM in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $25.00 target price on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, SLM has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $21.32.

Insider Transactions at SLM

In other SLM news, SVP Jonathan Boyles sold 94,078 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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 is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.91% of the company's stock.

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.