SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) Given New $27.00 Price Target at TD Cowen

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) had its target price reduced by equities researchers at TD Cowen from $32.00 to $27.00 in a report released on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the credit services provider’s stock. TD Cowen‘s price target points to a potential upside of 34.16% from the stock’s previous close.

SLM has been the subject of several other reports. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on SLM from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of SLM from $25.00 to $22.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Barclays set a $22.00 price objective on shares of SLM in a report on Friday. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of SLM in a research report on Monday, September 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of SLM in a research note on Friday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, SLM presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $27.33.

SLM Price Performance

NASDAQ:SLM opened at $20.12 on Friday. SLM has a 52 week low of $17.77 and a 52 week high of $31.06. The company has a quick ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.78 billion, a PE ratio of 5.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.96. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $24.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $24.03.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The credit services provider reported ($0.19) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.17 by ($0.36). The business had revenue of $375.47 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $453.34 million. SLM had a return on equity of 33.81% and a net margin of 26.09%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 31.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.63 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that SLM will post 3.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of SLM during the 2nd quarter valued at about $455,576,000. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC acquired a new position in shares of SLM in the 2nd quarter valued at $169,136,000. Azora Capital LP purchased a new stake in SLM in the 2nd quarter valued at about $97,917,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of SLM during the second quarter valued at about $39,251,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in SLM in the second quarter valued at approximately $37,268,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.94% of the company’s stock.

SLM News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting SLM this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Private education loan originations increased 15% year over year to $3.4 billion, while graduate-loan originations rose 119%. SLM also repurchased 5.1 million shares for $132.2 million, supporting per-share value over the longer term. Sallie Mae Reports $32.3 Million Third-Quarter Loss as Originations Rise 15%
• Positive Sentiment: Sixth Street committed to purchase $1.5 billion of student loans annually, potentially providing SLM with a recurring source of loan-sale liquidity and balance-sheet flexibility. The company also announced a fourth-quarter dividend payable December 15. SLM: 3 Key Takeaways for Long-Term Investors
• Negative Sentiment: SLM reported a third-quarter net loss of $32.3 million, or $0.19 per share, compared with earnings of $0.63 per share a year earlier. Revenue fell 31.3% year over year to approximately $375.5 million, below the roughly $453.3 million analyst expectation. Sallie Mae Swings To Q3 Loss
• Negative Sentiment: The company cut fiscal 2026 EPS guidance to $1.95-$2.05 from $3.10-$3.20, well below the $3.12 consensus estimate. Third-quarter net charge-offs reached $90 million, provisions for credit losses totaled $213.7 million, and delinquencies were 4.2% of loans in repayment, highlighting worsening credit performance. Sallie Mae Cuts Full-Year View After Logging Higher Charge-Offs

SLM Company Profile

SLM Corp., commonly known as Sallie Mae, is a financial services company focused on helping students and families finance higher education. Its primary business is the origination and servicing of private education loans, which can help cover tuition, fees, books, housing and other eligible education-related expenses not fully covered by federal student aid.

The company offers private student loans for undergraduate and graduate education, as well as loans for career-training programs and other education needs.