Weekly Analysts’ Ratings Updates for SLM (SLM)

Several analysts have recently updated their ratings and price targets for SLM (NASDAQ: SLM):

• 1/24/2025 – SLM had its price target raised by analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $32.00 to $33.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.
• 1/24/2025 – SLM had its price target raised by analysts at Royal Bank of Canada from $30.00 to $32.00. They now have an “outperform” rating on the stock.
• 1/24/2025 – SLM had its price target raised by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $29.00 to $30.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 1/24/2025 – SLM had its price target raised by analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $30.00 to $32.00. They now have a “market perform” rating on the stock.
• 1/24/2025 – SLM had its price target raised by analysts at Compass Point from $31.00 to $34.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 1/14/2025 – SLM had its price target raised by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $27.00 to $29.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 12/19/2024 – SLM had its price target raised by analysts at Morgan Stanley from $26.00 to $32.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.
• 12/9/2024 – SLM had its price target raised by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $24.00 to $27.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 12/9/2024 – SLM had its “market perform” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods. They now have a $30.00 price target on the stock, up previously from $27.00.

SLM Stock Up 0.5 %

SLM stock traded up $0.15 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $30.20. 984,950 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,569,094. The stock has a market cap of $6.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.40, a P/E/G ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37. SLM Co. has a fifty-two week low of $19.04 and a fifty-two week high of $31.49. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $27.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $24.29.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by ($0.06). SLM had a return on equity of 31.66% and a net margin of 20.73%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that SLM Co. will post 3.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

SLM Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be issued a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 5th. SLM’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other SLM news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.25, for a total transaction of $122,625.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 83,130 shares in the company, valued at $2,265,292.50. This trade represents a 5.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of SLM

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SLM. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its position in SLM by 86.4% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 971 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 450 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in SLM during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Waldron Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in SLM during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of SLM by 358.7% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,399 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 1,094 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of SLM in the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.94% of the company’s stock.

SLM Corporation, through its subsidiaries, originates and services private education loans to students and their families to finance the cost of their education in the United States. It is also involved in the provision of retail deposit accounts, including certificates of deposit, money market accounts, and high-yield savings accounts; and interest-bearing omnibus accounts.