(FMD) - First Marblehead Corp - earnings estimates climb 17% in past 60 days

Analysts continue to be increasingly bullish on The First Marblehead Corporation (FMD). During the past 30 days, five out of the six covering analysts have raised their fiscal 2007 projections, causing the consensus estimate to rise by 14 cents to $3.67 per share. Full Analysis The First Marblehead Corporation provides outsourcing services for private education lending in the United States. It offers design and marketing, borrower inquiry and application, loan origination and disbursement and loan securitization services. Student loan programs are tailored to meet the needs of the respective customers, students, employees and members of national and regional financial institutions and educational institutions, as well as businesses and other enterprises. The company primarily focuses on loan programs for undergraduate, graduate and professional education, as well as on the primary and secondary school market. It also offers services such as private label programs and the guaranteed access to education programs. FMD has strategic relationship with The Education Resources Institute. FMD announced earlier this month that it expects to receive $89.6 million in up-front advisory fees in connection with a private loan securitization involving The National Collegiate Student Loan Trust 2006-4. During its first-quarter, FMD generated advisory fees of $173.3 million. The reaction by analysts to the loan securitization was very favorable. Nearly all of the covering analysts raised their forecasts, causing the fiscal 2007 consensus estimate to rise by 14 cents to $3.67 per share. The recent revisions bring the cumulative 60-day advance in earnings estimates for fiscal 2007 to 54 cents, or 17%. Shares of First Marblehead have more than doubled in price this year, gaining nearly 10% in December alone. Nonetheless, the stock continues to trade a reasonable P/E multiple of 13.6. Content Courtesy: Zacks Investment Research #1 Ranked Stocks Highlight Archive To truly take advantage of the Zacks Rank, you need to first understand how it works. That is why we created the free special report: Zacks Rank Guide: Harnessing the Power of Earnings Estimate Revisions. | Blog Home| VitalStocks Home