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

Shares of SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twelve analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have given a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $31.60.

A number of research firms have recently commented on SLM. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of SLM in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Compass Point downgraded shares of SLM from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $35.00 to $23.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of SLM from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of SLM from $30.00 to $29.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and issued a $40.00 target price on shares of SLM in a report on Friday, January 23rd.

SLM Price Performance

NASDAQ:SLM opened at $20.64 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.44. The company has a market capitalization of $4.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.18. SLM has a 12 month low of $17.77 and a 12 month high of $34.97. The business’s 50-day moving average is $23.12 and its 200 day moving average is $26.06.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The credit services provider reported $1.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 $1.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $383.43 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.50 EPS. SLM has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700-2.800 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast 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 was paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 5th were given a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 5th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. SLM’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.99%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SLM

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SLM. Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of SLM in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $69,000. Quent Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of SLM during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $118,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of SLM by 118.2% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,995 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $131,000 after purchasing an additional 2,164 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in SLM by 9.6% during the 4th 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 during the period. Finally, Arkadios Wealth Advisors raised its holdings in SLM by 11.4% during the 3rd quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 8,315 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $230,000 after buying an additional 853 shares during the period. 98.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About SLM

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.