SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.06 EPS

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) issued its earnings results on Thursday. The credit services provider reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by ($0.06), Zacks reports. SLM had a net margin of 22.18% and a return on equity of 35.92%. SLM updated its FY 2025 guidance to 3.000-3.100 EPS.

SLM Stock Up 0.8 %

SLM stock traded up $0.22 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $29.30. The stock had a trading volume of 3,646,084 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,691,981. The company has a market cap of $6.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.21, a PEG ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.21. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $27.07 and its 200-day moving average price is $23.79. SLM has a 52 week low of $18.84 and a 52 week high of $29.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.21, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.27.

SLM Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 5th. SLM’s payout ratio is currently 18.12%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of SLM from $26.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $30.00 price target (up previously from $27.00) on shares of SLM in a report on Monday, December 9th. Bank of America initiated coverage on SLM in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $27.00 price objective on the stock. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 target price on shares of SLM in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on SLM from $27.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $27.90.

Insider Activity

In other SLM news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 4,500 shares of SLM stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.25, for a total value of $122,625.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 83,130 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,265,292.50. The trade was a 5.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

SLM Company Profile

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.