SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) Stock Crosses Above 50 Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM) crossed above its 50 day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of $22.45 and traded as high as $25.12. SLM shares last traded at $24.61, with a volume of 2,660,597 shares.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SLM has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays upped their price target on shares of SLM from $27.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Compass Point raised SLM from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $23.00 to $22.00 in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Zacks Research lowered SLM from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on SLM from $26.00 to $22.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on SLM from $32.00 to $29.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $29.80.

SLM Stock Up 3.2%

The stock has a market cap of $4.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.98. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $22.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $23.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.29.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The credit services provider reported $1.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.40. The business had revenue of $559.99 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $486.05 million. SLM had a return on equity of 34.80% and a net margin of 26.42%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.40 EPS. SLM has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.100-3.200 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that SLM Corporation will post 3.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 4th were given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 4th. SLM’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.40%.

Institutional Trading of SLM

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SLM. Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in SLM during the 3rd quarter valued at $69,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted 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 buying an additional 501 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of SLM by 9.6% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,649 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $207,000 after buying an additional 669 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new position in shares of SLM during the first quarter valued at about $263,000. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of SLM by 6.6% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 21,350 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $627,000 after buying an additional 1,319 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.