SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the ten analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $35.00.

Several research analysts recently issued reports on SLM shares. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $40.00 price target (up from $33.00) on shares of SLM in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of SLM in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on SLM from $33.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Barclays upped their price objective on SLM from $38.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on SLM in a report on Monday, August 25th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $38.00 target price for the company.

SLM Stock Performance

NASDAQ:SLM traded down $0.90 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $28.13. The stock had a trading volume of 4,094,873 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,228,393. The company has a quick ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.02. The stock has a market cap of $5.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.14, a P/E/G ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 1.11. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $31.80 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $30.84. SLM has a 12-month low of $21.05 and a 12-month high of $34.97.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The credit services provider reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.49 by ($0.17). SLM had a return on equity of 21.93% and a net margin of 15.46%.The firm had revenue of $403.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $370.26 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.11 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 21.4% compared to the same quarter last year. SLM has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.000-3.100 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that SLM 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, September 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 4th will be paid a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 4th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. SLM's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.13%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other SLM news, EVP Kerri A. Palmer sold 55,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.21, for a total transaction of $1,771,550.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 119,253 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,841,139.13. This represents a 31.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SLM

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. J.Safra Asset Management Corp purchased a new position in SLM in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. City Holding Co. purchased a new stake in SLM during the second quarter worth $25,000. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S acquired a new stake in SLM in the first quarter valued at $45,000. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in shares of SLM by 37.7% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,714 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 469 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in shares of SLM by 355.4% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,899 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 1,482 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.94% of the company's stock.

About SLM

SLM Corporation, through its subsidiaries, originates and services private education loans to students and their families to finance the cost of their education in the United States. It is also involved in the provision of retail deposit accounts, including certificates of deposit, money market accounts, and high-yield savings accounts; and interest-bearing omnibus accounts.