Parallax Volatility Advisers L.P. Cuts Stock Holdings in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM)

Parallax Volatility Advisers L.P. reduced its position in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM - Free Report) by 55.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 8,085 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 10,024 shares during the quarter. Parallax Volatility Advisers L.P.'s holdings in SLM were worth $223,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of SLM. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of SLM by 32.2% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,849 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its position 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 worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of SLM by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 33,825 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $933,000 after purchasing an additional 552 shares during the period. Xponance Inc. increased its holdings in shares of SLM by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 24,263 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $669,000 after purchasing an additional 729 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Truist Financial Corp lifted its stake in shares of SLM by 11.9% in the fourth quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 9,052 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $250,000 after purchasing an additional 960 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.94% of the company's stock.

SLM Trading Up 4.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ SLM traded up $1.20 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $31.19. 2,562,355 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,226,555. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $28.30 and a 200-day moving average price of $27.38. 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 company has a market capitalization of $6.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.77, a P/E/G 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.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $1.40 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $374.97 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $359.83 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.27 EPS. SLM's revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that SLM Co. will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SLM Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 5th will be given a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 5th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.67%. SLM's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SLM has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $33.00 target price (up from $31.00) on shares of SLM in a report on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on SLM from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Compass Point boosted their target price on SLM from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on SLM from $30.00 to $27.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $30.73.

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.