SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM) Short Interest Update

SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 17,286,082 shares, an increase of 36.0% from the January 29th total of 12,710,595 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 3,030,006 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.7 days. Approximately 8.8% of the shares of the company are sold short. Approximately 8.8% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 3,030,006 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.7 days.

SLM Trading Up 1.8%

NASDAQ SLM traded up $0.34 on Monday, reaching $19.08. The company had a trading volume of 2,516,131 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,452,325. The firm has a market cap of $3.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.14. SLM has a fifty-two week low of $18.14 and a fifty-two week high of $34.97. The business has a 50 day moving average of $25.99 and a two-hundred day moving average of $27.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.44, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 1.24.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The credit services provider reported $1.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.95 by $0.17. SLM had a net margin of 26.04% and a return on equity of 34.79%. The firm had revenue of $1.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $383.43 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.50 EPS. SLM has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.700-2.800 EPS. Analysts forecast that SLM will post 3.07 EPS for the current year.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 5th will be paid a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 5th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. SLM’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.99%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SLM has been the topic of several recent research reports. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of SLM in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of SLM from $30.00 to $29.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of SLM from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of SLM from $31.00 to $29.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $25.00 price target (down from $29.00) on shares of SLM in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $31.60.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On SLM

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in SLM by 33.4% during 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 purchasing an additional 137,285 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in SLM by 139.5% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 160,272 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $4,337,000 after purchasing an additional 93,364 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP boosted its holdings in shares of SLM by 616.6% in the 3rd quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 109,485 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $3,031,000 after buying an additional 94,207 shares during the last quarter. Amalgamated Bank increased its holdings in SLM by 0.3% during the second quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 96,570 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $3,167,000 after buying an additional 326 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its stake in SLM by 31.3% in the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 53,673 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,452,000 after acquiring an additional 12,793 shares during the last quarter. 98.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.