SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) Stock Rating Lowered by Wall Street Zen

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) was downgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on SLM. Barclays restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $26.00 price objective (down from $30.00) on shares of SLM in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of SLM from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of SLM from $28.00 to $29.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Zacks Research lowered shares of SLM from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Finally, Compass Point raised shares of SLM from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $23.00 to $22.00 in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $29.80.

SLM Stock Performance

SLM opened at $24.29 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.57 billion, a PE ratio of 6.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.94. SLM has a one year low of $17.77 and a one year high of $33.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.63, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a current ratio of 1.33. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $23.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $23.29.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last posted 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). SLM had a return on equity of 33.81% and a net margin of 26.09%.The business had revenue of $401.11 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $409.22 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.32 EPS. SLM’s revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. SLM has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.100-3.200 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that SLM will post 3.12 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of SLM

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 501 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in 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 buying an additional 1,319 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its stake in SLM by 6.1% during the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 36,889 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,210,000 after buying an additional 2,109 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in SLM by 26.4% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 11,579 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $300,000 after buying an additional 2,417 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in SLM during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $69,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.94% of the company’s stock.

Key SLM News

Here are the key news stories impacting SLM this week:

• Positive Sentiment: SLM reaffirmed/issued FY 2026 EPS guidance of 3.10 to 3.20, which is roughly in line with consensus and may help limit downside if investors focus on the full-year outlook rather than the quarter. Sallie Mae Reports Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: The company also highlighted loan origination growth, showing the underlying lending franchise is still expanding even as earnings were weak. Sallie Mae Q2 Earnings Miss Estimates, NII Dips, Expenses Rise Y/Y
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor focus remains split between the “student loan reform” narrative and valuation arguments, which may be supporting some longer-term interest in the stock despite the weak quarter. SLM (SLM) Heads Into Earnings On Student Loan Reform Narrative and Undervalued Debate
• Negative Sentiment: SLM reported Q2 EPS of $0.29 versus estimates of $0.46, while revenue of $401.1 million also missed expectations, reinforcing concerns about near-term earnings momentum. SLM earnings report and conference call
• Negative Sentiment: Management cited lower net interest income, rising expenses, and margin pressure, all of which weigh on profitability and help explain why the stock is moving lower. Sallie Mae (SLM) Misses Q2 Earnings and Revenue Estimates

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.