SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the twelve analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have assigned a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $29.80.

SLM has been the subject of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley set a $27.00 target price on shares of SLM in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Zacks Research lowered shares of SLM from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $28.00 target price on shares of SLM in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of SLM from $27.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Compass Point upgraded SLM from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $23.00 to $22.00 in a research note on Monday, March 30th.

SLM Price Performance

Shares of SLM opened at $23.05 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $4.35 billion, a PE ratio of 6.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $22.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $24.15. SLM has a 1-year low of $17.77 and a 1-year high of $34.97.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The credit services provider reported $1.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.40. The business had revenue of $559.99 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $486.05 million. SLM had a net margin of 26.42% and a return on equity of 34.80%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.40 EPS. SLM has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.100-3.200 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that SLM will post 3.14 EPS for the current year.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 4th. SLM’s dividend payout ratio is 14.40%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SLM

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of SLM in the 3rd quarter worth $69,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of SLM by 19.4% in the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,081 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 501 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of SLM by 9.6% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,649 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $207,000 after purchasing an additional 669 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of SLM in the 1st quarter worth $263,000. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of SLM by 6.6% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 21,350 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $627,000 after purchasing an additional 1,319 shares in the last quarter. 98.94% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.