SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) Upgraded to Neutral at Compass Point

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) was upgraded by stock analysts at Compass Point from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report issued on Monday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has a $22.00 target price on the credit services provider’s stock, down from their previous target price of $23.00. Compass Point’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 8.06% from the company’s previous close.

SLM has been the subject of several other reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on SLM from $30.00 to $29.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of SLM from $31.00 to $29.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of SLM from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and issued a $40.00 price objective on shares of SLM in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $31.50.

SLM Price Performance

SLM opened at $20.36 on Monday. SLM has a one year low of $17.77 and a one year high of $34.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.44, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.19. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $23.00 and its 200-day simple moving average is $25.95.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The credit services provider reported $1.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.95 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $1.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 earned $0.50 EPS. SLM has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700-2.800 EPS. Analysts anticipate that SLM will post 3.07 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SLM

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of SLM by 33.4% during the first 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. Entropy Technologies LP increased its stake in SLM by 616.6% in the 3rd quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 109,485 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,031,000 after buying an additional 94,207 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in SLM by 139.5% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 160,272 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,337,000 after buying an additional 93,364 shares during the last quarter. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in SLM during the 3rd quarter worth $1,131,000. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of SLM in the 3rd quarter worth $951,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.94% of the company’s stock.

About SLM

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.