SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM) Receives $31.60 Average Target Price from Brokerages

Shares of SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM) have been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the twelve brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have assigned a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $31.20.

SLM has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Compass Point lowered SLM from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $35.00 to $23.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Morgan Stanley set a $30.00 target price on SLM in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of SLM from $40.00 to $31.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on SLM from $31.00 to $29.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective 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.

Key SLM News

Here are the key news stories impacting SLM this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short‑interest data for mid‑January is anomalous (shows 0 shares), suggesting the published figure is unreliable and shouldn’t be treated as a meaningful signal about bearish positioning.
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple plaintiff law firms and notices: Several national firms have announced class action filings or are soliciting lead plaintiffs for claims against SLM related to purchases between July 25, 2025 and August 14, 2025, with a Feb. 17, 2026 deadline to seek lead‑plaintiff status — increasing litigation risk, potential legal costs, and reputational pressure. Representative notices: Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd. Read More., Pomerantz LLP filing. Read More., and multiple other firm solicitations (Far uqi, Bronstein, Schall, Berger Montague, Rosen, Portnoy, Bernstein).
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst stance: JPMorgan reaffirmed an “underweight” rating on SLM and cut its price target to $25, signaling limited near‑term upside from the sell‑side and providing a benchmark below the recent trade level. Read More.

SLM Trading Up 0.4%

NASDAQ SLM opened at $26.83 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 1.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.41, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.12. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $27.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $29.26. SLM has a 12 month low of $23.81 and a 12 month high of $34.97.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.84 by ($0.21). The company had revenue of $172.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $382.50 million. SLM had a net margin of 21.76% and a return on equity of 30.13%. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($0.23) earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that SLM will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current year.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 4th were paid a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 4th. SLM’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.25%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SLM

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SLM. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of SLM during the 3rd quarter worth $1,131,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in SLM by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,802,829 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $52,949,000 after purchasing an additional 12,264 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio bought a new stake in shares of SLM in the first quarter worth $1,472,000. Meritage Portfolio Management increased its holdings in SLM by 2.8% in the second quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management now owns 16,780 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $550,000 after buying an additional 464 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of SLM by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 116,786 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,430,000 after acquiring an additional 564 shares in the last quarter. 98.94% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.