SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) Shares Acquired by Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc.

Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. grew its position in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) by 25.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 42,365 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,726 shares during the period. Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in SLM were worth $1,168,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of SLM. Waldron Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of SLM in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new stake in shares of SLM in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of SLM by 358.7% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,399 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 1,094 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of SLM in the third quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of SLM in the fourth quarter valued at about $86,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.94% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other SLM news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 4,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.25, for a total transaction of $122,625.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 83,130 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,265,292.50. The trade was a 5.14 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

SLM Price Performance

NASDAQ SLM opened at $30.68 on Friday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $6.51 billion, a PE ratio of 11.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $28.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $24.92. SLM Co. has a 12-month low of $19.39 and a 12-month high of $32.65.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by ($0.06). SLM had a return on equity of 31.66% and a net margin of 20.73%. As a group, equities analysts predict that SLM Co. will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SLM Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be paid a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.69%. SLM’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.62%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on SLM. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of SLM from $26.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of SLM from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of SLM from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $30.91.

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.