SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM) Short Interest Update

SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 21,713,822 shares, a growth of 21.5% from the February 26th total of 17,872,341 shares. Currently, 11.1% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 5,615,002 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.9 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings cut SLM from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on SLM from $30.00 to $29.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and issued a $40.00 price objective on shares of SLM in a report on Friday, January 23rd. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of SLM in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $25.00 target price (down from $29.00) on shares of SLM in a report on Monday, January 12th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $31.50.

SLM Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SLM opened at $21.74 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.04. SLM has a 52 week low of $17.77 and a 52 week 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 firm has a 50 day moving average of $22.69 and a 200 day moving average of $25.81.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The credit services provider reported $1.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.95 by $0.17. SLM had a return on equity of 34.79% and a net margin of 26.04%.The company had revenue of $1.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $383.43 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.50 earnings per share. SLM has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700-2.800 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that SLM will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 5th were paid a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 5th. SLM’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.99%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in SLM in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $69,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new position in SLM during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $118,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings 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 worth $207,000 after buying an additional 669 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arkadios Wealth Advisors raised its holdings in shares of SLM by 11.4% in the third quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 8,315 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $230,000 after buying an additional 853 shares during the last quarter. 98.94% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.