SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) Sets New 12-Month Low – Time to Sell?

SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM) shares hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $19.55 and last traded at $19.84, with a volume of 5755184 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $19.86.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on SLM shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of SLM from $30.00 to $29.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Compass Point downgraded shares of SLM from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $35.00 to $23.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of SLM from $31.00 to $29.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and set a $40.00 target price on shares of SLM in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, SLM currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $31.60.

SLM Stock Down 0.1%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.44, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 1.24. The company has a market cap of $3.93 billion, a PE ratio of 5.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $26.41 and a 200 day moving average price of $27.77.

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

SLM Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 5th. SLM’s payout ratio is currently 14.99%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SLM

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in SLM during the third quarter worth about $69,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of SLM by 118.2% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,995 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $131,000 after purchasing an additional 2,164 shares during the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of SLM during the 3rd quarter valued at about $118,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in SLM by 9.6% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,649 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $207,000 after buying an additional 669 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arkadios Wealth Advisors boosted its stake in SLM by 11.4% in the third quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 8,315 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $230,000 after buying an additional 853 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.94% of the company’s stock.

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.