SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) Issues FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday. The company provided EPS guidance of 2.700-2.800 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 2.840. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on SLM. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $37.00 target price on shares of SLM in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $32.00 price objective on shares of SLM in a research note on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on SLM from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Barclays decreased their price target on SLM from $43.00 to $35.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 6th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on SLM from $31.00 to $29.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $31.40.

SLM Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:SLM opened at $26.70 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a current ratio of 1.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.37, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.12. SLM has a 1-year low of $23.81 and a 1-year high of $34.97. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $27.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $28.98.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The credit services provider reported $1.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $656.82 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $383.43 million. SLM had a return on equity of 30.13% and a net margin of 21.76%.During the same quarter 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, research analysts anticipate that SLM will post 3.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

SLM Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 5th. SLM’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.25%.

Key SLM News

Here are the key news stories impacting SLM this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results materially beat expectations — SLM reported $1.12 EPS vs. the $0.95 consensus and revenue of $656.8M (well above estimates), with a 21.8% net margin and 30.1% ROE. The beat underscores strong operating leverage and loan origination performance. Q4 Results Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns and growth targets — Management outlined 12%–14% origination growth for 2026 and launched a new $500M share repurchase program, which should support EPS going forward and signal confidence in cash flow execution. Share Repurchase / Origination Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend declared — SLM declared a quarterly dividend of $0.13/share (ann. yield ~2.0%), adding to total shareholder return and appealing to income?sensitive investors.
• Neutral Sentiment: FY2026 EPS guidance is 2.70–2.80 — management provided a full?year EPS range that is slightly below consensus (~2.84). Guidance reduces upside expectations versus Street models but still implies solid profitability if origination growth and margins hold.
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple securities?class action filings and law?firm notices — Several firms (Pomerantz, Berger Montague, Levi & Korsinsky, Rosen, Faruqi, Gross, Robbins, etc.) have announced lawsuits or deadline alerts tied to a July 25–Aug 14, 2025 class period; this increases legal risk and could pressure the share price until litigation outcomes become clearer. Class Action Filing

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of SLM by 6.6% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 21,350 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $627,000 after acquiring an additional 1,319 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of SLM in the first quarter valued at $263,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of SLM by 33.4% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 547,724 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $16,087,000 after buying an additional 137,285 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in SLM by 118.2% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,995 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $131,000 after buying an additional 2,164 shares during the period. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors raised its position in SLM by 6.1% during the second quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 36,889 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,210,000 after buying an additional 2,109 shares during the period. 98.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.