SLM (SLM) Scheduled to Post Earnings on Wednesday

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) will post its quarterly earnings results after the market closes on Wednesday, April 24th. Analysts expect SLM to post earnings of $0.98 per share for the quarter. Individual that are interested in registering for the company’s earnings conference call can do so using this link.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last released 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 company had revenue of $725.66 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $379.20 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted ($0.33) EPS. On average, analysts expect SLM to post $3 EPS for the current fiscal year and $3 EPS for the next fiscal year.

SLM Stock Down 0.3 %

NASDAQ SLM opened at $20.66 on Wednesday. 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 50-day simple moving average of $20.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $17.84. SLM has a twelve month low of $12.26 and a twelve month high of $21.94. The stock has a market cap of $4.55 billion, a PE ratio of 8.61, a PEG ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 1.16.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.13%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 1st. SLM’s dividend payout ratio is 18.33%.

SLM declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, January 24th that allows the company to buyback $650.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the credit services provider to buy up to 14.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at SLM

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SLM. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of SLM during the 4th quarter worth about $41,054,000. Capital World Investors grew its stake in SLM by 53.0% in the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 4,530,000 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $83,171,000 after buying an additional 1,570,000 shares during the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its stake in SLM by 1,097.1% in the 1st quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 1,524,886 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $18,892,000 after buying an additional 1,397,503 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in SLM by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 33,136,784 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $633,575,000 after buying an additional 1,151,557 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in SLM by 17.6% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,605,432 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $81,839,000 after buying an additional 988,172 shares during the last quarter. 98.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.