SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twelve brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have given a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $29.80.

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on SLM shares. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of SLM from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of SLM from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $28.00 price objective on SLM in a report on Friday, July 24th. Weiss Ratings raised SLM from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on SLM from $28.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SLM

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Allworth Financial LP acquired a new stake in shares of SLM in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $55,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in SLM by 19.4% during the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,081 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $66,000 after buying an additional 501 shares during the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in SLM during the third quarter worth $69,000. Nykredit A S acquired a new stake in SLM in the second quarter valued at $77,000. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in SLM in the second quarter valued at $231,000. Institutional investors own 98.94% of the company’s stock.

SLM Price Performance

Shares of SLM opened at $26.41 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.63. SLM has a twelve month low of $17.77 and a twelve month high of $32.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a 50 day moving average of $25.87 and a 200-day moving average of $23.26.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.46 by ($0.17). SLM had a return on equity of 33.81% and a net margin of 26.09%.The business had revenue of $401.11 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $409.22 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.32 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. SLM has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.100-3.200 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that SLM will post 3.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 4th will be given a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 4th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. SLM’s payout ratio is 14.53%.

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.