SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM) has earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the twelve research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $29.80.

SLM has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of SLM from $26.00 to $22.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of SLM from $32.00 to $29.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $28.00 price target on shares of SLM in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of SLM from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of SLM from $27.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday.

SLM Stock Performance

Shares of SLM stock traded up $0.15 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $23.58. The company had a trading volume of 264,081 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,828,253. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $21.15 and a 200-day moving average price of $25.11. SLM has a one year low of $17.77 and a one year high of $34.97. The firm has a market cap of $4.45 billion, a PE ratio of 6.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.30.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The credit services provider reported $1.54 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.40. SLM had a net margin of 26.42% and a return on equity of 34.80%. The firm had revenue of $559.99 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $486.05 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.40 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. SLM has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.100-3.200 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that SLM will post 3.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 4th will be paid a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 4th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. SLM’s payout ratio is currently 14.40%.

Institutional Trading of SLM

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in SLM by 63.1% during the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 261,392 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $5,596,000 after buying an additional 101,120 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its position in SLM by 31.3% during the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 53,673 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,452,000 after buying an additional 12,793 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in SLM by 9.6% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,649 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $207,000 after buying an additional 669 shares during the period. Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in SLM during the third quarter valued at approximately $69,000. Finally, Entropy Technologies LP grew its position in SLM by 616.6% during the third quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 109,485 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,031,000 after buying an additional 94,207 shares during the period. 98.94% of the stock is currently owned by 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.