Pertento Partners LLP Invests $48.45 Million in SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM)

Pertento Partners LLP bought a new position in shares of SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 1,756,745 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $48,451,000. SLM comprises 4.1% of Pertento Partners LLP’s holdings, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Pertento Partners LLP owned 0.83% of SLM as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its stake in shares of SLM by 86.4% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 971 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 450 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new stake in SLM during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of SLM by 32.2% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,849 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of SLM in the fourth quarter valued at about $86,000. Finally, Plato Investment Management Ltd purchased a new position in shares of SLM in the fourth quarter worth about $114,000. 98.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 40,000 shares of SLM stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.57, for a total transaction of $1,142,800.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 43,163 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,233,166.91. This trade represents a 48.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

SLM Trading Down 2.8 %

Shares of SLM stock opened at $28.90 on Friday. SLM Co. has a twelve month low of $19.39 and a twelve month high of $32.65. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $29.59 and its 200 day moving average price is $26.40. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.08 billion, a PE ratio of 10.91, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.23.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last issued its quarterly 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%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that SLM Co. will post 3.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were paid a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 5th. SLM’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.62%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SLM has been the topic of several research reports. Compass Point increased their price target on shares of SLM from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of SLM from $32.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of SLM from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, SLM has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $31.45.

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.