SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM) Stock Has Consensus Target Price of $29.40

Shares of SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM) have been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the twelve analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $29.40.

SLM has been the subject of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on SLM from $25.00 to $22.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of SLM from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 25th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $28.00 target price on SLM in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of SLM from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on shares of SLM from $29.00 to $28.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 9th.

SLM Stock Performance

SLM stock opened at $22.22 on Tuesday. SLM has a 1-year low of $17.77 and a 1-year high of $31.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.63, a current ratio of 1.33 and a quick ratio of 1.32. The company has a market capitalization of $4.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.21, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.96. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $25.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $24.00.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.46 by ($0.17). The company had revenue of $401.11 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $409.22 million. SLM had a net margin of 26.09% and a return on equity of 33.81%. The firm’s revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.32 EPS. SLM has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.100-3.200 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that SLM will post 3.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

SLM Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 4th were paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 4th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. SLM’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.53%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SLM

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SLM. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in shares of SLM by 48.7% during the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,016 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 660 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP acquired a new position in SLM in the 2nd quarter valued at $55,000. Nykredit A S purchased a new stake in shares of SLM during the second quarter worth $77,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of SLM by 19.4% in the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,081 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $66,000 after buying an additional 501 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its stake in shares of SLM by 738.9% in the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 4,077 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $106,000 after buying an additional 3,591 shares in the last quarter. 98.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About SLM

SLM Corp., operating under the Sallie Mae brand, is a financial services company focused on education financing. It primarily provides private student loans to undergraduate and graduate students, as well as education loans for parents and other creditworthy borrowers. Sallie Mae also offers related products and resources designed to help families plan and pay for college.

The company’s private education loans can be used for eligible expenses such as tuition, fees, books, supplies, and living costs.