SLM (SLM) Stock Price, News & Analysis

Company Overview

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. The bank’s online platform and mobile app deliver account management tools, repayment calculators, and budgeting resources designed to help borrowers make informed financial decisions. Sallie Mae also partners with colleges and universities to offer tuition payment plans and student bank accounts on campus.

Headquartered in Newark, Delaware, Sallie Mae serves customers across all 50 states, offering nationwide access to its lending and banking products. The company’s leadership team includes experienced executives in consumer finance and education banking, supported by a board of directors with expertise in financial services, digital innovation, and regulatory compliance. Sallie Mae continues to refine its product suite and customer experience through ongoing investments in technology and financial education resources.

Key Stats

• Today's Range: $26.25 to $26.86
• 50-Day Range: $23.90 to $28.03
• 52-Week Range: $17.77 to $31.06
• Volume: 674,150 shs
• Average Volume: 3.14 million shs
• Market Capitalization: $4.96 billion
• P/E Ratio: 7.37
• Dividend Yield: 1.97%
• Price Target: $29.80
• Consensus Rating: Hold

SLM Stock Analysis - MarketRank™

SLM scored higher than 82% of companies evaluated by MarketBeat, and ranked 297th out of 840 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: 3.2 / 5
• Analyst Rating: Hold

Consensus Rating

SLM has received a consensus rating of Hold. The company's average rating score is 2.33, and is based on no strong buy ratings, 5 buy ratings, 6 hold ratings, and 1 sell rating.

Upside Potential

SLM has a consensus price target of $29.80, representing about 12.3% upside from its current price of $26.53.

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: 2.5 / 5
• Proj. Earnings Growth: 8.65%

Earnings Growth

Earnings for SLM are expected to grow by 8.65% in the coming year, from $3.12 to $3.39 per share.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. the Market

The P/E ratio of SLM is 7.41, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the market average P/E ratio of about 39.24.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. Sector

The P/E ratio of SLM is 7.41, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the Finance sector average P/E ratio of about 26.19.

Price to Earnings Growth Ratio

SLM has a PEG Ratio of 2.35. PEG Ratios above 1 indicate that a company could be overvalued.

Price to Book Value per Share Ratio

SLM has a P/B Ratio of 2.45. P/B Ratios below 3 indicates that a company is reasonably valued with respect to its assets and liabilities.

Short Interest

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

Percentage of Shares Shorted

9.60% 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 8.49.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in SLM has recently decreased by 12.20%, indicating that investor sentiment is improving significantly.

Dividend

• Score: 2.5 / 5
• Dividend Strength: Moderate

Dividend Yield

SLM pays a meaningful dividend of 1.92%, 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 14.53%. 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 15.34% next year. This indicates that SLM will be able to sustain or increase its dividend.

News and Social Media

• Score: 3.0 / 5
• News Sentiment: 1.81

News Sentiment

SLM has a news sentiment score of 1.81. 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 higher news sentiment than the 0.95 average news sentiment score of Finance companies.

News Coverage This Week

MarketBeat has tracked 4 news articles for SLM this week, compared to 8 articles on an average week.

Search Interest

Only 4 people have searched for SLM on MarketBeat in the last 30 days. This is a decrease of -50% compared to the previous 30 days.

Company Ownership

• Score: 0.8 / 5
• Insider Trading: N/A

Insider Buying vs. Insider Selling

In the past three months, SLM insiders have not sold or bought any company stock.

Percentage Held by Insiders

1.40% 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.

Company Calendar

• Record date for 6/15 Dividend: 6/04/2026
• Ex-Dividend for 6/15 Dividend: 6/04/2026
• Dividend Payable: 6/15/2026
• Last Earnings: 7/23/2026
• Record date for 9/15 Dividend: 9/04/2026
• Ex-Dividend for 9/15 Dividend: 9/04/2026
• Today: 9/08/2026
• Dividend Payable: 9/15/2026
• Next Earnings (Estimated): 10/22/2026
• Fiscal Year End: 12/31/2026

Industry, Sector and Symbol

• Stock Exchange: NASDAQ
• Sector: Finance
• Industry: Consumer Finance
• Sub-Industry: Consumer Finance
• Current Symbol: NASDAQ:SLM
• CIK: 1032033
• Web: www.salliemae.com
• Phone: (302) 451-0200
• Fax: 800-848-1949
• Employees: 1,788
• Year Founded: 1972

Price Target and Rating

• Average Price Target for SLM: $29.80
• High Price Target: $40.00
• Low Price Target: $22.00
• Potential Upside/Downside: +12.6%
• Consensus Rating: Hold
• Rating Score (0-4): 2.33
• Research Coverage: 12 Analysts

Profitability

• EPS (Trailing Twelve Months): $3.58
• Trailing P/E Ratio: 7.41
• Forward P/E Ratio: 8.48
• P/E Growth: 2.35
• Net Income: $744.85 million
• Net Margins: 26.09%
• Pretax Margin: 34.86%
• Return on Equity: 33.81%
• Return on Assets: 2.51%

Debt

• Debt-to-Equity Ratio: 2.63
• Current Ratio: 1.33
• Quick Ratio: 1.32

Sales & Book Value

• Annual Sales: $1.96 billion
• Price / Sales: 2.54
• Cash Flow: $3.80 per share
• Price / Cash Flow: 6.96
• Book Value: $10.84 per share
• Price / Book: 2.44

Miscellaneous

• Outstanding Shares: 187,947,000
• Free Float: 185,316,000
• Market Cap: $4.97 billion
• Optionable: Optionable
• Beta: 0.96