SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLMBP) Short Interest Up 90.2% in December

SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLMBP) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 21,956 shares, a growth of 90.2% from the November 30th total of 11,542 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 7,335 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.0 days. Based on an average trading volume of 7,335 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.0 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on SLMBP shares. UBS Group set a $40.00 target price on shares of SLM in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of SLM in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of SLM in a research note on Friday, December 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $40.00.

SLM Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of SLM stock opened at $73.38 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $75.06 and its 200 day moving average price is $75.44. SLM has a twelve month low of $65.50 and a twelve month high of $83.15.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLMBP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 14th. The company reported $1.15 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of ($3.44) million during the quarter.

SLM Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 4th were given a dividend of $1.5122 per share. This represents a $6.05 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 4th.

About SLM

SLM Corporation, doing business as Sallie Mae, is a U.S.-based provider of private student loans, servicing, and banking products. The company specializes in originating and servicing education loans for undergraduate, graduate and professional students, as well as career and technical training programs. In addition to its core student lending business, Sallie Mae offers deposit products, credit cards and digital tools designed to help customers manage personal finances and plan for higher-education expenses.

Sallie Mae’s product suite includes fixed- and variable-rate private student loans, graduate student loans, parent loans and career training loans.