SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM) has received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the twelve research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $31.70.

SLM has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on SLM from $31.00 to $29.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of SLM in a report on Friday, December 5th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of SLM from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, October 25th. Compass Point lowered shares of SLM from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $35.00 to $23.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of SLM in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd.

Key Headlines Impacting SLM

Here are the key news stories impacting SLM this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CFO Pete Graham will speak at the Bank of America Securities 2026 Financial Services Conference on Feb. 10; management’s remarks and Q&A could provide updated visibility into credit performance, guidance and capital priorities. Sallie Mae CFO to Speak at Bank of America Securities 2026 Financial Services Conference
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP filed a class action against SLM and certain officers in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey (captioned Zappia v. SLM), alleging securities law violations for the period July 25, 2025–Aug 14, 2025. A filed complaint increases legal risk, potential defense costs and settlement uncertainty. Pomerantz Law Firm Announces the Filing of a Class Action Against SLM Corporation and Certain Officers – SLM
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple plaintiff firms (Rosen, Levi & Korsinsky, Faruqi & Faruqi, Robbins Geller, The Gross Law Firm, Bronstein Gewirtz & Grossman, Portnoy, Frank R. Cruz, etc.) have issued investor notices seeking lead plaintiffs and reminding investors of a Feb. 17, 2026 deadline to join or lead the securities‑fraud litigation. Widespread solicitations suggest coordinated litigation activity and heighten headline risk. SLM DEADLINE: ROSEN, A LEADING LAW FIRM, Encourages SLM Corporation a/k/a Sallie Mae Investors to Secure Counsel Before Important Deadline in Securities Class Action – SLM

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of SLM by 6.6% during 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 during the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in SLM in the first quarter valued at approximately $263,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its stake in SLM by 33.4% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 547,724 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $16,087,000 after acquiring an additional 137,285 shares during the last quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management grew its position in SLM by 2.8% in the second quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management now owns 16,780 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $550,000 after acquiring an additional 464 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amalgamated Bank increased its stake in shares of SLM by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 96,570 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $3,167,000 after purchasing an additional 326 shares during the last quarter. 98.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

SLM Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:SLM opened at $27.85 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $27.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $28.57. SLM has a 52 week low of $23.81 and a 52 week high of $34.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.44, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.28. The company has a market cap of $5.65 billion, a PE ratio of 8.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.10 and a beta of 1.14.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The credit services provider reported $1.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $656.82 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $383.43 million. SLM had a net margin of 26.04% and a return on equity of 34.79%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.50 EPS. SLM has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700-2.800 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that SLM will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current year.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 5th. SLM’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.99%.

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.