SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) Announces Earnings Results

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The credit services provider reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.44 by ($0.15), FiscalAI reports. SLM had a net margin of 26.42% and a return on equity of 34.80%. The firm had revenue of $401.11 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $409.22 million. SLM updated its FY 2026 guidance to 3.100-3.200 EPS.

SLM Price Performance

Shares of SLM traded down $1.04 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $24.18. 5,666,820 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,364,063. The stock has a market cap of $4.56 billion, a PE ratio of 6.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.94. 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’s 50 day simple moving average is $23.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $23.34. SLM has a 12 month low of $17.77 and a 12 month high of $33.49.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 4th will be given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 4th. SLM’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.40%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SLM

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of SLM by 6.6% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 21,350 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $627,000 after acquiring an additional 1,319 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new position in SLM in the first quarter valued at $263,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in SLM by 33.4% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 547,724 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $16,087,000 after acquiring an additional 137,285 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in SLM by 118.2% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,995 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $131,000 after purchasing an additional 2,164 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its holdings in shares of SLM by 6.1% in the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 36,889 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,210,000 after purchasing an additional 2,109 shares in the last quarter. 98.94% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on SLM shares. Barclays reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $26.00 price target (down from $30.00) on shares of SLM in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on SLM from $32.00 to $29.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Compass Point raised shares of SLM from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $23.00 to $22.00 in a research note on Monday, March 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of SLM from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of SLM from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $29.90.

Key SLM News

Here are the key news stories impacting SLM this week:

• Negative Sentiment: SLM reported second-quarter EPS of $0.29, missing analyst estimates of $0.44, and revenue of $401.1 million, also below expectations of $409.2 million. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company updated FY 2026 EPS guidance to $3.10-$3.20, which is roughly in line with the $3.15 consensus and suggests management still expects full-year earnings to remain stable.
• Neutral Sentiment: SLM also announced its regular quarterly dividend of $0.13 per share, signaling continued capital returns to shareholders. Article Title

SLM Company Profile

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.