Analysts Set SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM) PT at $29.80

SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the twelve brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One 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 twelve-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $29.80.

SLM has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on SLM from $28.00 to $29.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Weiss Ratings upgraded SLM from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Barclays reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $26.00 price target (down from $30.00) on shares of SLM in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Zacks Research cut shares of SLM from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of SLM from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, July 25th.

SLM Stock Down 1.4%

SLM stock opened at $27.47 on Thursday. SLM has a one year low of $17.77 and a one year high of $33.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.63, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a current ratio of 1.33. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $24.27 and its 200 day moving average is $23.23. The firm has a market cap of $5.16 billion, a PE ratio of 7.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.96.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.46 by ($0.17). The firm had revenue of $401.11 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $409.22 million. SLM had a return on equity of 33.81% and a net margin of 26.09%.The company’s revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.32 earnings per share. SLM has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.100-3.200 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that SLM will post 3.12 EPS for the current year.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 4th. SLM’s payout ratio is 14.53%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On SLM

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SLM. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of SLM in the third quarter worth approximately $69,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in SLM by 19.4% in the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,081 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 501 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in SLM during the 1st quarter worth $263,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in SLM by 26.4% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 11,579 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $300,000 after purchasing an additional 2,417 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of SLM by 6.6% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 21,350 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $627,000 after buying an additional 1,319 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.