Sapient Capital LLC Takes Position in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM)

Sapient Capital LLC acquired a new position in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 93,356 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,785,000.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of SLM by 1,812.0% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 55,391 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,059,000 after buying an additional 52,494 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of SLM by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 101,498 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,941,000 after purchasing an additional 4,449 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of SLM by 81.4% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,328 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 596 shares in the last quarter. Vest Financial LLC purchased a new position in SLM during the 4th quarter worth $249,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in SLM by 20.8% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 267,384 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,642,000 after buying an additional 46,032 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.94% of the company’s stock.

SLM Trading Down 1.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ SLM traded down $0.34 during trading on Friday, hitting $20.66. 148,802 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,209,103. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $20.59 and a 200-day moving average price of $17.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.21, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.55 billion, a PE ratio of 8.75, a P/E/G ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.16. SLM Co. has a 12-month low of $12.26 and a 12-month high of $21.94.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $0.72 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.15). SLM had a net margin of 20.65% and a return on equity of 36.86%. The firm had revenue of $725.66 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $379.20 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.33) earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that SLM Co. will post 2.69 EPS for the current year.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 4th were paid a dividend of $0.11 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.13%. SLM’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.33%.

SLM announced that its board has authorized a share 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 shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SLM has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on SLM in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $25.00 price target on the stock. TheStreet raised SLM from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of SLM from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on SLM from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded SLM from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $14.00 to $23.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, SLM currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $19.95.

Insider Buying and Selling at SLM

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

SLM 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.