SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) Posts Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.15 EPS

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) issued its earnings results on Thursday. The credit services provider reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.44 by ($0.15), FiscalAI reports. The business had revenue of $401.11 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $409.22 million. SLM had a return on equity of 34.80% and a net margin of 26.42%. SLM updated its FY 2026 guidance to 3.100-3.200 EPS.

SLM Stock Performance

Shares of SLM stock traded down $1.04 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $24.18. The company had a trading volume of 5,666,820 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,364,038. The stock has a market cap of $4.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.70, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $23.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $23.34. SLM has a 52-week low of $17.77 and a 52-week high of $33.49.

SLM Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 4th will be given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 4th. SLM’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.40%.

More SLM News

Here are the key news stories impacting SLM this week:

• Negative Sentiment: SLM reported second-quarter EPS of $0.29, missing analyst estimates of $0.44, and revenue of $401.1 million, also below expectations of $409.2 million. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company updated FY 2026 EPS guidance to $3.10-$3.20, which is roughly in line with the $3.15 consensus and suggests management still expects full-year earnings to remain stable.
• Neutral Sentiment: SLM also announced its regular quarterly dividend of $0.13 per share, signaling continued capital returns to shareholders. Article Title

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SLM has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of SLM from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Weiss Ratings raised SLM from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Zacks Research cut SLM from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on SLM from $28.00 to $29.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on SLM from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $29.90.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On SLM

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of SLM. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in SLM by 33.4% in the 1st 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 during the period. Entropy Technologies LP boosted its holdings in SLM by 616.6% in the 3rd quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 109,485 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,031,000 after purchasing an additional 94,207 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its position in SLM by 31.3% during the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 53,673 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,452,000 after purchasing an additional 12,793 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of SLM by 6.6% during the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of SLM in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $263,000. 98.94% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

SLM Company Profile

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.