Zacks Research Downgrades SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) to Hold

Posted by on May 28th, 2026

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM – Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other analysts have also recently issued reports on SLM. Morgan Stanley set a $27.00 target price on shares of SLM in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of SLM from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of SLM from $27.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of SLM from $32.00 to $29.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of SLM from $26.00 to $22.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, SLM currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $29.80.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on SLM

SLM Price Performance

NASDAQ SLM opened at $21.88 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.13 billion, a PE ratio of 6.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $21.78 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $24.47. SLM has a 12-month low of $17.77 and a 12-month high of $34.97.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The credit services provider reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.40. The firm had revenue of $559.99 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $486.05 million. SLM had a net margin of 26.42% and a return on equity of 34.80%. The company’s revenue was down 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.40 earnings per share. SLM has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.100-3.200 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that SLM will post 3.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of SLM

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in SLM in the 3rd quarter worth $69,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in SLM by 19.4% in the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,081 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 501 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in SLM by 9.6% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,649 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $207,000 after purchasing an additional 669 shares during the last quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors grew its position in SLM by 11.4% in the 3rd quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 8,315 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $230,000 after purchasing an additional 853 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in SLM in the 1st quarter worth $263,000. 98.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About SLM

(Get Free Report)

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.

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Analyst Recommendations for SLM (NASDAQ:SLM)

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