SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) Short Interest Down 16.4% in May

SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 6,010,000 shares, a decrease of 16.4% from the April 30th total of 7,190,000 shares. Approximately 2.9% of the company's shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 2,900,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.1 days.

Insider Activity at SLM

In related news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.15, for a total transaction of $93,450.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 35,195 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,096,324.25. This trade represents a 7.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SLM

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SLM. J.Safra Asset Management Corp bought a new stake in SLM in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its stake in shares of SLM by 86.4% in the fourth 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. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S acquired a new stake in SLM during the first quarter worth approximately $45,000. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in SLM by 37.7% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,714 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 469 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in SLM by 32.2% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,849 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.94% of the company's stock.

SLM Stock Performance

Shares of SLM traded down $0.49 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $32.18. The company had a trading volume of 1,502,176 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,269,298. The business has a fifty day moving average of $29.84 and a 200-day moving average of $28.90. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37. The firm has a market cap of $6.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.14, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.05. SLM has a 12 month low of $19.39 and a 12 month high of $34.55.

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

SLM Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 5th will be given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 5th. SLM's payout ratio is 18.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SLM has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on SLM from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on SLM from $30.00 to $27.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of SLM from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $40.00 target price (up previously from $33.00) on shares of SLM in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $31.82.

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.