SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) Stock Rating Upgraded by Compass Point

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Compass Point from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report issued on Monday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has a $22.00 price objective on the credit services provider’s stock, down from their previous price objective of $23.00. Compass Point’s price target points to a potential upside of 2.76% from the stock’s previous close.

SLM has been the subject of a number of other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued an “underweight” rating and set a $25.00 target price (down from $29.00) on shares of SLM in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on SLM from $31.00 to $29.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of SLM in a report on Friday, December 5th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on SLM from $30.00 to $29.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, SLM has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $31.50.

SLM Price Performance

SLM opened at $21.41 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.24 billion, a PE ratio of 6.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.44, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 1.24. The business’s 50-day moving average is $22.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $25.84. SLM has a 1 year low of $17.77 and a 1 year high of $34.97.

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 the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.17. SLM had a net margin of 26.04% and a return on equity of 34.79%. The business had revenue of $1.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $383.43 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.50 earnings per share. SLM has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700-2.800 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that SLM will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SLM. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of SLM during the third quarter worth $69,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of SLM by 118.2% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,995 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $131,000 after acquiring an additional 2,164 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in SLM in the 3rd quarter worth $118,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 669 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arkadios Wealth Advisors lifted its position in SLM by 11.4% during the 3rd quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 8,315 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $230,000 after acquiring an additional 853 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.94% of the company’s stock.

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.