SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) Price Target Cut to $27.00 by Analysts at TD Cowen

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) had its target price lowered by stock analysts at TD Cowen from $32.00 to $27.00 in a report issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the credit services provider’s stock. TD Cowen‘s target price would suggest a potential upside of 34.16% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research firms have also recently commented on SLM. Wall Street Zen cut shares of SLM from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 25th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on SLM from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of SLM from $25.00 to $22.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 12th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of SLM in a research note on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of SLM in a research note on Monday, September 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, SLM presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $27.33.

SLM Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ SLM opened at $20.12 on Friday. SLM has a twelve month low of $17.77 and a twelve month high of $31.06. The stock has a market cap of $3.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.96. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $24.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $24.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.63.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 22nd. The credit services provider reported ($0.19) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.17 by ($0.36). SLM had a return on equity of 33.81% and a net margin of 26.09%. The firm had revenue of $375.47 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $453.34 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.63 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 31.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that SLM will post 3.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of SLM

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of SLM by 9.2% during the third quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,336 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $211,000 after buying an additional 787 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its position in SLM by 78.7% during the 3rd quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 15,106 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $342,000 after acquiring an additional 6,654 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in SLM during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Vest Financial LLC grew its stake in SLM by 44.1% during the 3rd quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 270,049 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $6,111,000 after acquiring an additional 82,611 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wavvest Wealth LLC purchased a new position in SLM during the 3rd quarter valued at about $779,000. 98.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

SLM News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting SLM this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Private education loan originations increased 15% year over year to $3.4 billion, while graduate-loan originations rose 119%. SLM also repurchased 5.1 million shares for $132.2 million, supporting per-share value over the longer term. Sallie Mae Reports $32.3 Million Third-Quarter Loss as Originations Rise 15%
• Positive Sentiment: Sixth Street committed to purchase $1.5 billion of student loans annually, potentially providing SLM with a recurring source of loan-sale liquidity and balance-sheet flexibility. The company also announced a fourth-quarter dividend payable December 15. SLM: 3 Key Takeaways for Long-Term Investors
• Negative Sentiment: SLM reported a third-quarter net loss of $32.3 million, or $0.19 per share, compared with earnings of $0.63 per share a year earlier. Revenue fell 31.3% year over year to approximately $375.5 million, below the roughly $453.3 million analyst expectation. Sallie Mae Swings To Q3 Loss
• Negative Sentiment: The company cut fiscal 2026 EPS guidance to $1.95-$2.05 from $3.10-$3.20, well below the $3.12 consensus estimate. Third-quarter net charge-offs reached $90 million, provisions for credit losses totaled $213.7 million, and delinquencies were 4.2% of loans in repayment, highlighting worsening credit performance. Sallie Mae Cuts Full-Year View After Logging Higher Charge-Offs

SLM Company Profile

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.