SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) PT Lowered to $26.00 at Barclays

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) had its price objective dropped by research analysts at Barclays from $27.00 to $26.00 in a report issued on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the credit services provider’s stock. Barclays‘s target price would suggest a potential upside of 18.72% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on SLM from $24.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Wedbush dropped their price target on shares of SLM from $29.00 to $26.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of SLM from $25.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on SLM from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on SLM in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $27.00 target price on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, SLM has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $24.67.

SLM Price Performance

Shares of SLM stock opened at $21.90 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 1.26. The company has a market capitalization of $4.81 billion, a PE ratio of 6.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 1.15. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $21.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $21.50. SLM has a 12 month low of $12.26 and a 12 month high of $23.95.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The credit services provider reported ($0.23) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.07 by ($0.30). The firm had revenue of $652.64 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $363.40 million. SLM had a net margin of 24.67% and a return on equity of 41.84%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.11 EPS. Analysts predict that SLM will post 2.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at SLM

In related news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 4,500 shares of SLM stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.70, for a total value of $102,150.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 101,093 shares in the company, valued at $2,294,811.10. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SLM. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in SLM by 1,373.3% in the 1st quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,326 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 1,236 shares in the last quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of SLM in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in SLM by 358.7% in the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of SLM during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $60,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd increased its position in SLM by 378.1% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 3,050 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $66,000 after buying an additional 2,412 shares in the last quarter. 98.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.