SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM) Receives $31.70 Consensus PT from Brokerages

Shares of SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the twelve brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $31.70.

SLM has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of SLM from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, October 25th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of SLM in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of SLM from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of SLM from $40.00 to $31.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Finally, Compass Point lowered SLM from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $35.00 to $23.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th.

More SLM News

Here are the key news stories impacting SLM this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage coverage: an aggregate analyst target published by American Banking News shows a $31.70 average target for SLM, implying upside vs. the current share level and offering a bullish datapoint for valuation. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Lead‑plaintiff deadline notices: Holzer & Holzer listed SLM among several companies with approaching deadlines to seek lead‑plaintiff status, serving mainly as a procedural reminder to investors. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Rosen Law Firm (PR Newswire) reminder: Rosen urges investors who bought SLM between July 25–Aug 14, 2025 to seek lead‑plaintiff status by Feb. 17, flagging potential damages exposure and increasing litigation visibility. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Rosen (GlobeNewswire) duplicate notice: GlobeNewswire carried Rosen’s reminder about the same lead‑plaintiff deadline, reinforcing press volume around the suit. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Schall Law Firm notices (PR Newswire / GlobeNewswire): Schall is soliciting lead‑plaintiff candidates for alleged violations of federal securities laws covering the same class period, adding to the litigation publicity. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Other plaintiff firms (Berger Montague, DJS Law Group, Faruqi & Faruqi): multiple national plaintiffs’ firms announced the same class action and deadline, increasing the likelihood of competing lead‑plaintiff motions and press coverage that can pressure the stock. Read More. Read More. Read More.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in SLM in the third quarter valued at about $1,131,000. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in shares of SLM by 1,289.3% in the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 66,908 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,852,000 after acquiring an additional 62,092 shares during the last quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management boosted its holdings in shares of SLM by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management now owns 16,780 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $550,000 after acquiring an additional 464 shares in the last quarter. Amalgamated Bank boosted its holdings in shares of SLM by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 96,570 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $3,167,000 after acquiring an additional 326 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in SLM by 9.6% during 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. 98.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

SLM Stock Down 1.6%

SLM stock opened at $26.85 on Thursday. SLM has a twelve month low of $23.81 and a twelve month 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 company has a market cap of $5.45 billion, a PE ratio of 7.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.09 and a beta of 1.14. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $27.48 and its 200 day simple moving average is $28.42.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The credit services provider reported $1.12 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.95 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $656.82 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $383.43 million. SLM had a return on equity of 34.79% and a net margin of 26.04%.During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.50 EPS. SLM has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700-2.800 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that SLM will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current year.

SLM Announces Dividend

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

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.