SLM’s (SLM) “Underweight” Rating Reaffirmed at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM)‘s stock had its “underweight” rating restated by JPMorgan Chase & Co. in a research note issued on Monday, MarketBeat reports. They presently have a $25.00 price target on the credit services provider’s stock, down from their prior price target of $29.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price target would suggest a potential downside of 9.45% from the stock’s current price.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Compass Point downgraded shares of SLM from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $35.00 to $23.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded SLM from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 25th. 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. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on SLM from $40.00 to $31.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised SLM from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 25th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $31.20.

SLM Price Performance

NASDAQ:SLM opened at $27.61 on Monday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $27.80 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $29.34. SLM has a 52 week low of $23.81 and a 52 week high of $34.97. The stock has a market cap of $5.61 billion, a PE ratio of 9.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.12. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 14th. The credit services provider reported $1.15 earnings per share for the quarter. SLM had a return on equity of 30.13% and a net margin of 21.76%.The firm had revenue of ($3.44) million during the quarter. As a group, analysts forecast that SLM will post 3.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SLM

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. City Holding Co. bought a new stake in shares of SLM in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in SLM during the 3rd quarter valued at $69,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in SLM by 118.2% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,995 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $131,000 after buying an additional 2,164 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC bought a new stake in SLM in the third quarter worth $118,000. Finally, Longboard Asset Management LP purchased a new position in SLM during the second quarter worth $207,000. 98.94% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.