SG Americas Securities LLC Increases Stock Position in SLM Corporation $SLM

SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM) by 139.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 160,272 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 93,364 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC owned approximately 0.08% of SLM worth $4,337,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of SLM during the third quarter worth $69,000. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of SLM in the third quarter valued at $118,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of SLM by 118.2% in the second 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. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 669 shares during the period. Finally, Arkadios Wealth Advisors raised its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 853 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 98.94% of the company’s stock.

SLM Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of SLM opened at $21.74 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $22.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $25.81. The company has a market capitalization of $4.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.44, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 1.24. SLM Corporation has a 1-year low of $17.77 and a 1-year high of $34.97.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $1.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $383.43 million. SLM had a net margin of 26.04% and a return on equity of 34.79%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.50 EPS. SLM has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700-2.800 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that SLM Corporation will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced 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 2.4%. SLM’s payout ratio is 14.99%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on SLM shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded SLM from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on SLM from $31.00 to $29.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $25.00 price target (down from $29.00) on shares of SLM in a report on Monday, January 12th. Compass Point upgraded shares of SLM from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $23.00 to $22.00 in a research report on Monday. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of SLM from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $31.50.

SLM 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.