SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) Shares Pass Above 50-Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

Shares of SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM) crossed above its fifty day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a fifty day moving average of $22.04 and traded as high as $22.64. SLM shares last traded at $22.28, with a volume of 3,506,390 shares.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on SLM. Zacks Research downgraded SLM from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Compass Point raised SLM from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $23.00 to $22.00 in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of SLM from $32.00 to $29.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $28.00 price target on shares of SLM in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of SLM from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $29.80.

SLM Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $4.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.98. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $22.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $24.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The credit services provider reported $1.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.40. The firm had revenue of $559.99 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $486.05 million. SLM had a net margin of 26.42% and a return on equity of 34.80%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.40 earnings per share. SLM has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.100-3.200 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that SLM Corporation will post 3.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

SLM Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 4th will be given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 4th. SLM’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.40%.

Institutional Trading of SLM

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SLM. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position 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 valued at $66,000 after buying an additional 501 shares during the period. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in SLM during the third quarter valued at $69,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in SLM by 9.6% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,649 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $207,000 after buying an additional 669 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in SLM during the first quarter valued at $263,000. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in SLM by 6.6% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 21,350 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $627,000 after buying an additional 1,319 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.