SLM said on January 24, 2023 that its board of directors declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.11 per share ($0.44 annualized). Shareholders of record as of March 2, 2023 will receive the payment on March 15, 2023. Previously, the company paid $0.11 per share.

At the current share price of $16.97 / share, the stock’s dividend yield is 2.59%. Looking back five years and taking a sample every week, the average dividend yield has been 1.51%, the lowest has been 0.59%, and the highest has been 3.16%. The standard deviation of yields is 0.71 (n=190).

The current dividend yield is 1.53 standard deviations above the historical average.

Additionally, the company’s dividend payout ratio is 0.13. The payout ratio tells us how much of a company’s income is paid out in dividends. A payout ratio of one (1.0) means 100% of the company’s income is paid in a dividend. A payout ratio greater than one means the company is dipping into savings in order to maintain its dividend – not a healthy situation. Companies with few growth prospects are expected to pay out most of their income in dividends, which typically means a payout ratio between 0.5 and 1.0. Companies with good growth prospects are expected to retain some earnings in order to invest in those growth prospects, which translates to a payout ratio of zero to 0.5.

The company’s 3-Year dividend growth rate is 2.67%, demonstrating that it has increased its dividend over time.

Analyst Price Forecast Suggests 15.20% Upside

As of January 31, 2023, the average one-year price target for SLM is $19.55. The forecasts range from a low of $15.15 to a high of $23.10. The average price target represents an increase of 15.20% from its latest reported closing price of $16.97.

The projected annual revenue for SLM is $1,468MM, a decrease of 12.72%. The projected annual EPS is $2.64, a decrease of 16.01%.

Fund Sentiment

There are 829 funds or institutions reporting positions in SLM. This is a decrease of four owner or 0.48% in the last quarter.

Average portfolio weight of all funds dedicated to SLM is 0.2541%, an increase of 6.7793%. Total shares owned by institutions decreased in the last three months by 4.69% to 292,084K shares.

What are large shareholders doing?

Impactive Capital holds 22,593,389 shares representing 9.03% ownership of the company. In it’s prior filing, the firm reported owning 20,512,599 shares, representing an increase of 9.21%. The firm increased its portfolio allocation in SLM by 11.60% over the last quarter.

Massachusetts Financial Services holds 18,862,528 shares representing 7.54% ownership of the company. In it’s prior filing, the firm reported owning 20,007,968 shares, representing a decrease of 6.07%. The firm decreased its portfolio allocation in SLM by 10.27% over the last quarter.

Ubs Asset Management Americas holds 14,797,472 shares representing 5.91% ownership of the company. In it’s prior filing, the firm reported owning 15,092,528 shares, representing a decrease of 1.99%. The firm decreased its portfolio allocation in SLM by 7.83% over the last quarter.

Boston Partners holds 12,050,421 shares representing 4.82% ownership of the company. In it’s prior filing, the firm reported owning 15,296,464 shares, representing a decrease of 26.94%. The firm decreased its portfolio allocation in SLM by 26.29% over the last quarter.

MVCAX – MFS Mid Cap Value Fund A holds 8,321,337 shares representing 3.33% ownership of the company. In it’s prior filing, the firm reported owning 8,372,179 shares, representing a decrease of 0.61%. The firm decreased its portfolio allocation in SLM by 7.45% over the last quarter.

SLM Background Information
(This description is provided by the company.)

Sallie Mae believes education and life-long learning, in all forms, help people achieve great things. As the leader in private student lending, the company provides financing and know-how to support access to college and offer products and resources to help customers make new goals and experiences, beyond college, happen.

This article originally appeared on Fintel

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