SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) Shares Pass Below Fifty Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM)’s stock price crossed below its 50 day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of $27.64 and traded as low as $27.47. SLM shares last traded at $27.7960, with a volume of 913,102 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on SLM shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of SLM from $35.00 to $30.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 11th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on SLM from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of SLM in a report on Friday, December 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $37.00 price target on SLM in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded SLM from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 25th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $31.60.

SLM Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $5.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.67, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.14. The company’s fifty day moving average is $27.69 and its 200 day moving average is $29.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 14th. The credit services provider reported $1.15 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of ($3.44) million for the quarter. SLM had a return on equity of 30.13% and a net margin of 21.76%.SLM has set its FY 2022 guidance at $2.800-$3.000 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that SLM Corporation will post 3.07 EPS for the current year.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 4th were given a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 4th. SLM’s payout ratio is presently 18.25%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec bought a new stake in shares of SLM during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,392,000. FORA Capital LLC acquired a new position in SLM in the first quarter valued at $228,000. PEAK6 LLC boosted its position in SLM by 77.1% during the first quarter. PEAK6 LLC now owns 51,725 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,519,000 after acquiring an additional 22,525 shares during the last quarter. Trexquant Investment LP bought a new stake in shares of SLM during the 1st quarter valued at about $3,120,000. Finally, Twin Tree Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of SLM by 9,808.3% during the 1st quarter. Twin Tree Management LP now owns 39,633 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,164,000 after buying an additional 39,233 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.94% of the company’s stock.

About SLM

SLM Corporation, operating as Sallie Mae Bank, is a leading U.S.-based consumer banking company specializing in education financing and related banking products. The company provides a range of private student loans for undergraduate and graduate studies, Parent PLUS loans, and specialized financing for career and certificate programs. In addition to its core lending services, Sallie Mae offers deposit products including savings accounts, checking accounts, money market accounts, certificates of deposit, and credit cards tailored to students and young adults.

Founded in 1972 as the Student Loan Marketing Association—a government-sponsored enterprise—Sallie Mae was privatized in 2004 and has since focused on expanding its private education loan offerings and digital banking solutions.