SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) Updates FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 3.100-3.200 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 3.150. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on SLM. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on SLM from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of SLM from $32.00 to $29.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on SLM from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of SLM from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of SLM from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Thursday, June 18th. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $29.90.

SLM Stock Performance

SLM traded down $1.04 during trading on Thursday, hitting $24.18. 5,633,663 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,364,038. SLM has a one year low of $17.77 and a one year high of $33.49. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $23.46 and its 200 day moving average is $23.34. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59. The firm has a market cap of $4.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.94.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.44 by ($0.15). SLM had a net margin of 26.42% and a return on equity of 34.80%. The company had revenue of $401.11 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $409.22 million. SLM has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.100-3.200 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that SLM will post 3.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, September 4th will be paid a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 4th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. SLM’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.40%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in SLM in the 3rd quarter valued at about $69,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted 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 worth $131,000 after purchasing an additional 2,164 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new position in shares of SLM in the first quarter worth about $263,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of SLM by 6.6% in the first 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. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors raised its position in shares of SLM by 6.1% in the second quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 36,889 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,210,000 after purchasing an additional 2,109 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.94% of the company’s stock.

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.