SLM upgraded to Buy at Compass Point on share buyback expectations

As previously reported, Compass Point analyst Giuliano Bologna upgraded SLM to Buy from Neutral with an unchanged price target of $18. SLM is expected to complete loan sales around Q2 and Q3 this year and the company has "historically significantly stepped up the pace of share repurchase after loan sales were completed," says the firm, which contends in that context that SLM is "well positioned to increase the pace of share repurchases in the near-term."