SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM) Stock Has Average Target Price of $29.40 According to Brokerages

SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the eleven ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $29.22.

Several research analysts recently commented on SLM shares. Wall Street Zen lowered SLM from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 25th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on SLM from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Barclays restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $26.00 price objective (down from $30.00) on shares of SLM in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of SLM in a research note on Monday, September 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on SLM from $25.00 to $22.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 12th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in SLM during the 2nd quarter valued at about $455,576,000. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC purchased a new stake in SLM in the 2nd quarter worth about $169,136,000. Azora Capital LP purchased a new stake in SLM in the 2nd quarter worth about $97,917,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in SLM in the 2nd quarter worth about $39,251,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in SLM in the second quarter worth about $37,268,000. 98.94% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

SLM Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of SLM opened at $21.57 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $24.95 and its 200 day moving average is $24.01. SLM has a fifty-two week low of $17.77 and a fifty-two week high of $31.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.05 billion, a PE ratio of 6.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.63, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a current ratio of 1.33.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.46 by ($0.17). SLM had a net margin of 26.09% and a return on equity of 33.81%. The business had revenue of $401.11 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $409.22 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.32 EPS. SLM’s revenue for the quarter was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. SLM has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.100-3.200 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that SLM will post 3.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, September 4th were issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 4th. SLM’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.53%.

About SLM

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.