SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) Stock Price Expected to Rise, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Analyst Says

Key Points

• JPMorgan raised its price target on SLM from $24 to $25, but kept an underweight rating. The new target implies only a modest upside of about 0.77% from the previous close.
• Analyst sentiment on SLM remains mixed: several firms have recently adjusted ratings and targets, and the stock now carries a consensus Hold rating with an average price target of $29.80.
• SLM’s latest quarter beat expectations, with EPS of $1.54 versus the $1.14 consensus and revenue of $559.99 million versus $486.05 million expected. The company also guided FY2026 EPS at 3.10 to 3.20.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM - Get Free Report) had its price target hoisted by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $24.00 to $25.00 in a research report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "underweight" rating on the credit services provider's stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s target price would suggest a potential upside of 0.77% from the company's previous close.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Compass Point upgraded SLM from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $23.00 to $22.00 in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Zacks Research lowered SLM from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Weiss Ratings upgraded SLM from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Barclays reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and issued a $26.00 price objective (down from $30.00) on shares of SLM in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $27.00 target price on shares of SLM in a report on Friday, April 24th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, SLM has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $29.80.

SLM Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ SLM traded down $0.15 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $24.81. The company had a trading volume of 567,478 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,387,013. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.30. SLM has a one year low of $17.77 and a one year high of $33.65. The firm has a market cap of $4.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.87, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.94. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $22.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $23.46.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The credit services provider reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.40. The firm had revenue of $559.99 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $486.05 million. SLM had a net margin of 26.42% and a return on equity of 34.80%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.40 earnings per share. SLM has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.100-3.200 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that SLM will post 3.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of SLM by 19.4% during the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,081 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 501 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in SLM by 9.6% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in SLM by 6.6% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 21,350 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $627,000 after buying an additional 1,319 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its stake in SLM by 6.1% during the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 36,889 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,210,000 after purchasing an additional 2,109 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of SLM in the 3rd quarter worth $69,000. 98.94% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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