SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twelve analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have given a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $29.80.

Several research firms recently commented on SLM. Zacks Research downgraded SLM from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of SLM from $27.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley set a $27.00 price target on shares of SLM in a report on Friday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of SLM from $32.00 to $29.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $28.00 price objective on shares of SLM in a report on Friday, April 10th.

SLM Stock Performance

Shares of SLM opened at $25.60 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $22.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $23.56. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59. SLM has a 12 month low of $17.77 and a 12 month high of $34.97. The company has a market cap of $4.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.94.

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

SLM Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 4th were given a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 4th. SLM’s payout ratio is 14.40%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On SLM

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SLM. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of SLM by 33.4% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 547,724 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $16,087,000 after buying an additional 137,285 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in SLM by 63.1% during the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 261,392 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $5,596,000 after acquiring an additional 101,120 shares during the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP lifted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 94,207 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its holdings in SLM by 31.3% in the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 53,673 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,452,000 after acquiring an additional 12,793 shares during the period. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new position in SLM in the first quarter valued at about $263,000. 98.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.