VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Takes Position in SLM Corporation $SLM

Key Points

• Virginia Retirement Systems bought 161,300 SLM shares worth approximately $4.18 million, while institutional investors collectively own 98.94% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $29.80; targets range from $26 to $29.
• SLM missed quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $0.29 in EPS versus $0.46 expected, but maintained fiscal-year guidance of $3.10–$3.20 per share and declared a $0.13 quarterly dividend.

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new position in shares of SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 161,300 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,184,000. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al owned approximately 0.09% of SLM as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of SLM by 6.6% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 21,350 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $627,000 after acquiring an additional 1,319 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake in shares of SLM during the first quarter valued at approximately $263,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of SLM by 33.4% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 547,724 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $16,087,000 after purchasing an additional 137,285 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of SLM by 118.2% in the second 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors lifted 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 worth $1,210,000 after purchasing an additional 2,109 shares during the period. 98.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on SLM shares. Zacks Research lowered shares of SLM from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $28.00 target price on shares of SLM in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of SLM from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Barclays restated an "equal weight" rating and set a $26.00 price target (down from $30.00) on shares of SLM in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on SLM from $28.00 to $29.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $29.80.

SLM Price Performance

Shares of SLM stock opened at $26.09 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.96. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $26.14 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $23.33. The company has a current ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.63. SLM Corporation has a 1-year low of $17.77 and a 1-year high of $31.06.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.46 by ($0.17). The business had revenue of $401.11 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $409.22 million. SLM had a return on equity of 33.81% and a net margin of 26.09%.The firm's revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.32 earnings per share. SLM has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.100-3.200 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that SLM Corporation will post 3.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SLM Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 4th will be paid a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 4th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. SLM's payout ratio is currently 14.53%.

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.

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