SLM (SLM) Stock Price, News & Analysis

Company Overview

SLM Corporation, commonly known as Sallie Mae, is a national consumer banking institution specializing in private education loans and related financial services. As a private bank, the company focuses on providing credit products designed to meet the needs of students and their families, including undergraduate and graduate private student loans, K-12 financing, and career training loans. In addition to lending, SLM offers deposit accounts, such as savings and checking products, as well as credit cards tailored to the student demographic.

Founded in 1972 as the Student Loan Marketing Association, Sallie Mae transitioned from a government-sponsored enterprise to a fully private entity in 2004. Headquartered in Newark, Delaware, the company operates across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. Its digital platform allows borrowers to apply for loans, manage accounts, and access customer service support from virtually anywhere, extending its reach beyond domestic borders through online channels.

The company’s product portfolio encompasses in-school loans, deferred repayment options, interest-only payment plans, and loan refinancing solutions aimed at helping graduates consolidate and reduce the cost of existing federal and private education debt. SLM also provides online tools such as repayment calculators, financial literacy resources, and personalized customer support to guide borrowers through each stage of the loan lifecycle. These offerings are supported by a streamlined digital origination process and a mobile app for on-the-go account management.

SLM’s executive leadership team brings decades of experience in consumer finance, banking, and higher education lending. The company is governed by a Board of Directors composed of finance and education professionals who set strategic direction and oversee risk management practices. Day-to-day operations are led by senior executives, including the chief executive officer and chief financial officer, who together drive growth initiatives, ensure regulatory compliance, and uphold a commitment to customer service excellence.

Key Stats

• Today's Range: $32.55 to $33.33
• 50-Day Range: $31.20 to $34.40
• 52-Week Range: $19.39 to $34.97
• Volume: 1.67 million shs
• Average Volume: 2.31 million shs
• Market Capitalization: $6.89 billion
• P/E Ratio: 11.81
• Dividend Yield: 1.58%
• Price Target: $33.40
• Consensus Rating: Moderate Buy

SLM Stock Analysis - MarketRank™

SLM scored higher than 98% of companies evaluated by MarketBeat, and ranked 30th out of 933 stocks in the finance sector. Scores are calculated by averaging available category scores, with extra weight given to analysis and valuation.

Analyst's Opinion

• Score: 2.5 / 5
• Analyst Rating: Moderate Buy

Consensus Rating

SLM has received a consensus rating of Moderate Buy. The company's average rating score is 2.90, and is based on 9 buy ratings, 1 hold rating, and no sell ratings.

Amount of Analyst Coverage

SLM has been the subject of 5 research reports in the past 90 days, demonstrating strong analyst interest in this stock.

Earnings and Valuation

• Score: 3.8 / 5
• Proj. Earnings Growth: 8.79%

Earnings Growth

Earnings for SLM are expected to grow by 8.79% in the coming year, from $3.07 to $3.34 per share.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. the Market

The P/E ratio of SLM is 11.81, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the market average P/E ratio of about 26.51.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. Sector

The P/E ratio of SLM is 11.81, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the Finance sector average P/E ratio of about 19.17.

Price to Earnings Growth Ratio

SLM has a PEG Ratio of 0.90. PEG Ratios below 1 indicate that a company could be undervalued.

Price to Book Value per Share Ratio

SLM has a P/B Ratio of 3.65. P/B Ratios above 3 indicate that a company could be overvalued with respect to its assets and liabilities.

Short Interest

• Score: 3.0 / 5
• Short Interest Level: Healthy

Percentage of Shares Shorted

3.52% of the float of SLM has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

SLM has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 3.3, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in SLM has recently increased by 5.97%, indicating that investor sentiment is decreasing significantly.

Dividend

• Score: 2.5 / 5
• Dividend Strength: Moderate

Dividend Yield

SLM pays a meaningful dividend of 1.59%, higher than the bottom 25% of all stocks that pay dividends.

Dividend Growth

SLM has only been increasing its dividend for 1 years.

Dividend Coverage

The dividend payout ratio of SLM is 18.71%. This payout ratio is at a healthy, sustainable level, below 75%.

Dividend Sustainability

Based on earnings estimates, SLM will have a dividend payout ratio of 15.57% next year. This indicates that SLM will be able to sustain or increase its dividend.

Sustainability and ESG

• Score: 4.6 / 5
• Environmental Score: -0.15

Percentage of Shares Shorted

3.52% of the float of SLM has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

SLM has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 3.3, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in SLM has recently increased by 5.97%, indicating that investor sentiment is decreasing significantly.

News and Social Media

• Score: 2.5 / 5
• News Sentiment: 0.57

News Sentiment

SLM has a news sentiment score of 0.57. This score is calculated as an average of sentiment of articles about the company over the last seven days and ranges from 2 (good news) to -2 (bad news). This is a lower news sentiment than the 0.91 average news sentiment score of Finance companies.

News Coverage This Week

MarketBeat has tracked 9 news articles for SLM this week, compared to 11 articles on an average week.

Search Interest

2 people have searched for SLM on MarketBeat in the last 30 days. This is an increase of 100% compared to the previous 30 days.

MarketBeat Follows

2 people have added SLM to their MarketBeat watchlist in the last 30 days. This is an increase of 100% compared to the previous 30 days.

Company Ownership

• Score: 2.5 / 5
• Insider Trading: Selling Shares

Insider Buying vs. Insider Selling

In the past three months, SLM insiders have sold more of their company's stock than they have bought. Specifically, they have bought $0.00 in company stock and sold $93,450.00 in company stock.

Percentage Held by Insiders

Only 1.30% of the stock of SLM is held by insiders.

Percentage Held by Institutions

98.94% of the stock of SLM is held by institutions. High institutional ownership can be a signal of strong market trust in this company.

SLM Stock Analysis - Frequently Asked Questions

How have SLM shares performed this year?

SLM's stock was trading at $27.58 on January 1st, 2025. Since then, SLM stock has increased by 19.0% and is now trading at $32.82.

How were SLM's earnings last quarter?

SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM) issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April, 24th. The credit services provider reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.21. SLM's revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis.
Read the conference call transcript.

How will SLM's stock buyback program work?

SLM's board approved a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, January 24th 2024, which allows the company to buy back $650,000,000 in outstanding shares, according to EventVestor. This means that the company could repurchase up to 14.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Who are SLM's major shareholders?

SLM's top institutional investors include Farther Finance Advisors LLC (0.01%), GAMMA Investing LLC, Longboard Asset Management LP and City Holding Co.. Insiders that own company stock include Nicolas Jafarieh, Donna F Vieira, Jonathan Boyles and Robert S Strong.
View institutional ownership trends.

How do I buy shares of SLM?

Shares of SLM stock can be purchased through any online brokerage account. Popular online brokerages with access to the U.S. stock market include Charles Schwab, E*TRADE, Fidelity, and Vanguard Brokerage Services.

What other stocks do shareholders of SLM own?

Based on aggregate information from My MarketBeat watchlists, some other companies that SLM investors own include NVIDIA (NVDA), Meta Platforms (META), Broadcom (AVGO), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Adobe (ADBE), Arista Networks (ANET) and GE Aerospace (GE).

Company Calendar

• Last Earnings: 4/24/2025
• Record date for 6/16 Dividend: 6/05/2025
• Ex-Dividend for 6/16 Dividend: 6/05/2025
• Dividend Payable: 6/16/2025
• Today: 7/18/2025
• Next Earnings (Confirmed): 7/24/2025
• Fiscal Year End: 12/31/2025

Industry, Sector and Symbol

• Stock Exchange: NASDAQ
• Sector: Finance
• Industry: FIN - CONS LOANS
• Sub-Industry: Consumer Finance
• Current Symbol: NASDAQ:SLM
• CIK: 1032033
• Web: www.salliemae.com
• Phone: (302) 451-0200
• Fax: 800-848-1949
• Employees: 1,710
• Year Founded: N/A

Price Target and Rating

• Average Price Target for SLM: $33.40
• High Price Target: $40.00
• Low Price Target: $26.00
• Potential Upside/Downside: +1.5%
• Consensus Rating: Moderate Buy
• Rating Score (0-4): 2.90
• Research Coverage: 10 Analysts

Profitability

• EPS (Trailing Twelve Months): $2.78
• Trailing P/E Ratio: 11.84
• Forward P/E Ratio: 10.72
• P/E Growth: 0.9
• Net Income: $608.33 million
• Net Margins: 21.05%
• Pretax Margin: 27.51%
• Return on Equity: 31.25%
• Return on Assets: 2.12%

Debt

• Debt-to-Equity Ratio: 2.86
• Current Ratio: 1.34
• Quick Ratio: 1.34

Sales & Book Value

• Annual Sales: $2.62 billion
• Price / Sales: 2.64
• Cash Flow: $3.11 per share
• Price / Cash Flow: 10.59
• Book Value: $8.99 per share
• Price / Book: 3.66

Miscellaneous

• Outstanding Shares: 209,860,000
• Free Float: 207,128,000
• Market Cap: $6.91 billion
• Optionable: Optionable
• Beta: 1.09