SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) Hits New 1-Year Low – Here’s Why

SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM)’s share price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $23.72 and last traded at $23.9880, with a volume of 45082 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $23.90.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $25.00 price objective (down previously from $29.00) on shares of SLM in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of SLM from $30.00 to $29.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Compass Point lowered shares of SLM from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $35.00 to $23.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and set a $40.00 price objective on shares of SLM in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of SLM in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $31.60.

SLM Trading Down 3.5%

The firm has a market capitalization of $4.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.51, a PEG ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.44. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $26.68 and a 200-day moving average of $27.99.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The credit services provider reported $1.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $1.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $383.43 million. SLM had a return on equity of 34.79% and a net margin of 26.04%.During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.50 EPS. SLM has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700-2.800 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that SLM Corporation will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 5th will be paid a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 5th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. SLM’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.99%.

Institutional Trading of SLM

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of SLM. Amalgamated Bank grew its position in SLM by 0.3% in the second quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 96,570 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,167,000 after acquiring an additional 326 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of SLM by 9.6% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,649 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $207,000 after purchasing an additional 669 shares during the last quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors increased its position in SLM by 11.4% during the 3rd quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 8,315 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $230,000 after purchasing an additional 853 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its stake in SLM by 6.6% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 21,350 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $627,000 after purchasing an additional 1,319 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its position in SLM by 6.1% in the second quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 36,889 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,210,000 after buying an additional 2,109 shares in the last quarter. 98.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.