SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) Holdings Lowered by AQR Capital Management LLC

AQR Capital Management LLC cut its holdings in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM - Free Report) by 19.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,545,729 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 371,016 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC owned 0.73% of SLM worth $42,631,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SLM. Private Trust Co. NA raised its holdings in shares of SLM by 86.4% in the 4th 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. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of SLM during the fourth quarter worth about $86,000. Plato Investment Management Ltd acquired a new position in SLM during the fourth quarter worth approximately $114,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its holdings in shares of SLM by 489.7% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 4,476 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $123,000 after acquiring an additional 3,717 shares during the period. 98.94% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at SLM

In other SLM news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.15, for a total value of $93,450.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 35,195 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,096,324.25. This trade represents a 7.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

SLM Stock Up 2.5 %

Shares of SLM stock traded up $0.78 on Thursday, hitting $32.30. The stock had a trading volume of 419,102 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,226,892. 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 Co. has a 52-week low of $19.39 and a 52-week high of $32.65. The stock's 50 day moving average is $28.38 and its 200-day moving average is $27.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.19, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.05.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.21. The company 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%. SLM's quarterly revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.27 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that SLM Co. will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current year.

SLM Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 5th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.61%. SLM's payout ratio is 18.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $33.00 price target (up previously from $31.00) on shares of SLM in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of SLM from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Compass Point lifted their target price on shares of SLM from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, SLM 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.