SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The credit services provider reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.56 by ($0.06), Zacks reports. SLM had a return on equity of 35.92% and a net margin of 22.18%.

SLM Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ SLM traded up $0.22 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $29.30. 3,624,583 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,682,386. SLM has a 52-week low of $18.84 and a 52-week high of $29.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.22 billion, a PE ratio of 10.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.21, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 1.29. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $27.07 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $23.79.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.77%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 5th. SLM’s payout ratio is 18.12%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on SLM shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $30.00 price target (up previously from $27.00) on shares of SLM in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 price target on shares of SLM in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Barclays decreased their price objective on SLM from $27.00 to $26.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on SLM from $27.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 price objective on shares of SLM in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $27.90.

Insider Transactions at SLM

In other news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 4,500 shares of SLM 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 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

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.