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

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The credit services provider reported $0.50 earnings per share 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 Trading Up 0.8 %

NASDAQ:SLM opened at $29.30 on Friday. SLM has a 12 month low of $18.84 and a 12 month high of $29.75. The company’s 50 day moving average is $27.18 and its 200-day moving average is $23.83. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.21. The firm has a market cap of $6.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.21, a P/E/G ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.21.

SLM Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $26.00 target price on shares of SLM in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of SLM from $26.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of SLM from $27.00 to $26.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $30.00 price target (up from $27.00) on shares of SLM in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 price objective on shares of SLM in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $27.90.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Robert S. Strong sold 4,500 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the director now owns 83,130 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,265,292.50. This trade represents a 5.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.20% 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.