Zacks Research Upgrades SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) to Hold

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) was upgraded by Zacks Research from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen raised SLM from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $25.00 price objective (down from $29.00) on shares of SLM in a report on Monday, January 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price 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. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and set a $40.00 price objective on shares of SLM in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $31.70.

SLM Price Performance

Shares of SLM traded down $0.73 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $26.19. 1,019,900 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,759,186. 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 $5.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.54, a P/E/G ratio of 4.02 and a beta of 1.14. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $27.42 and its 200 day moving average is $28.38. SLM has a fifty-two week low of $23.81 and a fifty-two week high of $34.97.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 $656.82 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $383.43 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.50 earnings per share. SLM has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700-2.800 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that SLM will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of SLM. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of SLM by 33.4% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 547,724 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $16,087,000 after purchasing an additional 137,285 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in SLM by 139.5% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 160,272 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $4,337,000 after acquiring an additional 93,364 shares in the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP grew its stake in shares of SLM by 616.6% during the third quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 109,485 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $3,031,000 after acquiring an additional 94,207 shares during the last quarter. Amalgamated Bank lifted its position in SLM by 0.3% during 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 during the period. Finally, MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of SLM in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,131,000. 98.94% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

SLM News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting SLM this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research upgraded SLM from “strong sell” to “hold” — a modest vote of confidence that can reduce immediate sell pressure and may support the stock if other fundamentals hold. Zacks Research
• Neutral Sentiment: SLM presented at the Bank of America Financial Services Conference; the transcript provides management commentary and may offer clarity on earnings drivers and guidance that investors can parse for longer‑term outlook. Conference Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple plaintiff law firms (Faruqi & Faruqi, Berger Montague, Levi & Korsinsky, Rosen, Schall, Bernstein Liebhard, Bronstein Gewirtz & Grossman, Holzer & Holzer, et al.) have announced or are investigating a securities class action covering purchases between July 25, 2025 and August 14, 2025, with lead‑plaintiff deadlines around Feb. 17, 2026. This cluster of notices signals legal and reputational risk that can pressure the stock through potential settlements, defense costs, and investor uncertainty. Representative firm notice: Faruqi & Faruqi Notice and Berger Montague Notice

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.