Wedbush Analysts Increase Earnings Estimates for SLM

SLM Co. (NASDAQ:SLM) – Research analysts at Wedbush lifted their Q4 2024 EPS estimates for SLM in a research note issued on Thursday, October 24th. Wedbush analyst D. Chiaverini now anticipates that the credit services provider will post earnings of $0.59 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $0.20. Wedbush has a “Outperform” rating and a $26.00 price objective on the stock. The consensus estimate for SLM’s current full-year earnings is $2.75 per share. Wedbush also issued estimates for SLM’s Q2 2025 earnings at $0.49 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $3.60 EPS.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The credit services provider reported ($0.23) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.07 by ($0.30). SLM had a return on equity of 35.92% and a net margin of 22.18%. The business had revenue of $652.64 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $363.40 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.11 earnings per share.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of SLM from $24.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on SLM from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on SLM from $25.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Barclays reduced their price target on SLM from $27.00 to $26.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of SLM from $25.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, SLM has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $25.45.

SLM Trading Up 2.1 %

SLM opened at $22.35 on Monday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $21.96 and its 200-day moving average is $21.51. The company has a market cap of $4.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.98, a PEG ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 1.15. SLM has a 1-year low of $12.81 and a 1-year high of $23.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.21.

SLM Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 5th will be given a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 5th. This is a boost from SLM’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.33%. SLM’s dividend payout ratio is 16.25%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 4,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.70, for a total value of $102,150.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 101,093 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,294,811.10. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of SLM

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its position in SLM by 1,373.3% in the 1st quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,326 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 1,236 shares in the last quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of SLM during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of SLM by 358.7% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,399 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,094 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of SLM in the 2nd quarter worth $60,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its position in SLM by 378.1% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 3,050 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 2,412 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 98.94% of the company’s stock.

About SLM

SLM Corporation, through its subsidiaries, originates and services private education loans to students and their families to finance the cost of their education in the United States. It is also involved in the provision of retail deposit accounts, including certificates of deposit, money market accounts, and high-yield savings accounts; and interest-bearing omnibus accounts.