JPMorgan Chase & Co. Lowers SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) Price Target to $22.00

Key Points

• JPMorgan Chase cut SLM's price target from $26 to $22 and kept an "underweight" rating, a level that implies only about a 1.8% upside from the prior close.
• Analysts are mixed—several recent target cuts and rating changes—but MarketBeat's consensus remains a "Hold" with an average target of $30.10, indicating disagreement on the stock's outlook.
• SLM recently beat quarterly EPS estimates ($1.12 vs. $0.95) and set FY2026 guidance of 2.70–2.80 EPS; shares trade near $21.61 with a market cap of roughly $4.3B and a P/E of 6.23.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM - Get Free Report) had its price target decreased by equities research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $26.00 to $22.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "underweight" rating on the credit services provider's stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s price target would indicate a potential upside of 1.82% from the stock's previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Barclays cut their price target on SLM from $35.00 to $27.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on SLM from $30.00 to $29.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Weiss Ratings cut SLM from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Compass Point upgraded SLM from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $23.00 to $22.00 in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on SLM from $31.00 to $29.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued 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 $30.10.

SLM Stock Performance

Shares of SLM traded down $0.03 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $21.61. 1,134,631 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,774,636. The company has a market capitalization of $4.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.23, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.04. SLM has a twelve month low of $17.77 and a twelve month high of $34.97. The business's 50-day moving average price is $22.16 and its 200 day moving average price is $25.59. 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 (NASDAQ:SLM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The credit services provider reported $1.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $1.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 company earned $0.50 earnings per share. SLM has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700-2.800 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that SLM will post 3.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of SLM. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in SLM in the third quarter valued at $69,000. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in SLM in the third quarter valued at $118,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in 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 during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in SLM by 9.6% in the fourth 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. Finally, Arkadios Wealth Advisors grew its holdings in SLM by 11.4% in the third quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 8,315 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $230,000 after purchasing an additional 853 shares during the last quarter. 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.

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