SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) Upgraded by Compass Point to “Neutral” Rating

Compass Point upgraded shares of SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) from a sell rating to a neutral rating in a research note released on Monday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. They currently have $22.00 price objective on the credit services provider’s stock, down from their previous price objective of $23.00.

SLM has been the subject of several other reports. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of SLM in a report on Friday, December 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $40.00 target price on shares of SLM in a report on Friday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $25.00 price target (down from $29.00) on shares of SLM in a report on Monday, January 12th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded SLM from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, SLM presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $31.50.

SLM Trading Up 1.4%

NASDAQ SLM opened at $20.64 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.44, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 1.24. SLM has a 12 month low of $17.77 and a 12 month high of $34.97. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $22.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $25.89.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The credit services provider reported $1.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $1.31 billion during 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 quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.50 EPS. SLM has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700-2.800 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that SLM will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SLM Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 5th were issued a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 5th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. SLM’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.99%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On SLM

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in shares of SLM by 33.4% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 547,724 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $16,087,000 after purchasing an additional 137,285 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of SLM by 139.5% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 160,272 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,337,000 after purchasing an additional 93,364 shares during the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP boosted its position in SLM by 616.6% during the 3rd quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 109,485 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,031,000 after purchasing an additional 94,207 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its position in SLM by 31.3% during the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 53,673 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,452,000 after purchasing an additional 12,793 shares during the period. Finally, MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in SLM during the 3rd quarter worth $1,131,000. 98.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.