SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) Lowered to Hold Rating by Zacks Research

Zacks Research downgraded shares of SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of SLM from $26.00 to $22.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of SLM from $32.00 to $29.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of SLM from $27.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Compass Point raised shares of SLM from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $23.00 to $22.00 in a report on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of SLM from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $29.80.

SLM Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of SLM stock opened at $21.88 on Tuesday. SLM has a 1 year low of $17.77 and a 1 year high of $34.97. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $21.78 and its 200 day simple moving average is $24.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The credit services provider reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.40. SLM had a net margin of 26.42% and a return on equity of 34.80%. The business had revenue of $559.99 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $486.05 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.40 earnings per share. SLM’s revenue was down 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. SLM has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.100-3.200 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that SLM will post 3.14 EPS for the current year.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 4th will be paid a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 4th. SLM’s payout ratio is currently 14.40%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SLM

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in shares of SLM by 139.5% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 160,272 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $4,337,000 after purchasing an additional 93,364 shares in the last quarter. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of SLM in the 3rd quarter valued at $951,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of SLM by 9.6% in 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 in the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of SLM in the 3rd quarter valued at $69,000. Finally, Arkadios Wealth Advisors boosted its stake in shares of SLM by 11.4% in 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.94% of the company’s stock.

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.