Brokerages Set SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM) Target Price at $29.80

SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the twelve analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages 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 research reports. Barclays reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $26.00 target price (down from $30.00) on shares of SLM in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $28.00 price target on SLM in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of SLM from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on SLM from $28.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of SLM from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th.

SLM Price Performance

Shares of SLM stock opened at $26.78 on Monday. 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 stock’s fifty day moving average is $25.73 and its 200 day moving average is $23.24. The stock has a market cap of $5.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.96. SLM has a one year low of $17.77 and a one year high of $32.07.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.46 by ($0.17). The firm had revenue of $401.11 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $409.22 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 .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter 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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that SLM will post 3.12 earnings per share for the current year.

SLM Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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

SLM Company Profile

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.