SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM) Receives $31.70 Average Target Price from Brokerages

SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the twelve analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $31.70.

A number of brokerages have issued reports on SLM. Zacks Research downgraded shares of SLM from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and issued a $40.00 target price on shares of SLM in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of SLM in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on SLM from $40.00 to $31.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 17th. Finally, Compass Point downgraded SLM from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $35.00 to $23.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of SLM by 139.5% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 160,272 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,337,000 after purchasing an additional 93,364 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in SLM by 9.6% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,649 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $207,000 after purchasing an additional 669 shares during the period. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in SLM in the third quarter worth $69,000. Entropy Technologies LP raised its stake in shares of SLM by 616.6% in the third quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 109,485 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,031,000 after buying an additional 94,207 shares during the period. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of SLM during the 3rd quarter valued at $951,000. 98.94% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

SLM Stock Performance

Shares of SLM stock opened at $27.30 on Thursday. SLM has a 52 week low of $23.81 and a 52 week high of $34.97. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.44. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $27.54 and a 200-day moving average price of $28.49. The company has a market cap of $5.54 billion, a PE ratio of 7.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.09 and a beta of 1.14.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The credit services provider reported $1.12 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.95 by $0.17. SLM had a return on equity of 34.79% and a net margin of 26.04%.The business had revenue of $656.82 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $383.43 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.50 EPS. SLM has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700-2.800 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that SLM will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 5th will be given a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 5th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. SLM’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.99%.

SLM News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting SLM this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Independent coverage and analysis looking at SLM’s valuation and the impact of rising delinquency disputes versus buybacks — useful context for assessing whether recent legal and credit issues change the company’s investment case. Assessing SLM Corporation (SLM) Valuation After Rising Delinquency Disputes And New Class Action Lawsuits
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysis on how delinquency‑related lawsuits and SLM’s capital deployment (buybacks) have altered the company’s investment story — provides strategic and credit risk perspective. How Delinquency Lawsuits Versus Buybacks At SLM (SLM) Has Changed Its Investment Story
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple national law firms and plaintiff groups have announced a securities‑class‑action has been filed against SLM and are soliciting lead‑plaintiff applicants for investors who bought SLM shares between July 25 and August 14, 2025 — increasing legal uncertainty and potential future liabilities. SLM Corporation (SLM) Shareholders Who Lost Money Have Opportunity to Lead Securities Fraud Lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: Rosen Law Firm and several others (Levi & Korsinsky, Bernstein Liebhard, Berger Montague, Faruqi & Faruqi, Schall, Gross, Bronstein Gewirtz & Grossman) issued investor alerts and lead‑plaintiff reminders ahead of the Feb. 17, 2026 deadline — broad solicitor activity can signal persistent litigation pressure and attract more claimants. SLM DEADLINE: ROSEN, TRUSTED INVESTOR COUNSEL…
• Negative Sentiment: Repeated firm notices and press releases over the past 48 hours amplify the narrative of regulatory and investor scrutiny; this could pressure sentiment, raising the chance of reputational damage, legal costs, or settlements that affect equity value. Class Action Filed Against SLM Corporation (SLM) – February 17, 2026 Deadline to Join

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.