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

Shares of SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM) crossed above its fifty day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a fifty day moving average of $22.25 and traded as high as $23.56. SLM shares last traded at $22.95, with a volume of 3,038,339 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on SLM shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of SLM from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Compass Point raised shares of SLM from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $23.00 to $22.00 in a report on Monday, March 30th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of SLM from $27.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $28.00 price objective on shares of SLM in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of SLM from $32.00 to $29.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $29.80.

SLM Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $4.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.38, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $22.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $23.85.

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. SLM had a net margin of 26.42% and a return on equity of 34.80%. The business had revenue of $559.99 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $486.05 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.40 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. SLM has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.100-3.200 EPS. Analysts predict that SLM Corporation will post 3.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 4th were issued a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 4th. SLM’s dividend payout ratio is 14.40%.

Institutional Trading of SLM

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in SLM by 19.4% during the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,081 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $66,000 after acquiring an additional 501 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 669 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in SLM by 6.6% in the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its position in SLM by 6.1% in the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 36,889 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,210,000 after buying an additional 2,109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in SLM during the 3rd quarter valued at about $69,000. 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.