SLM Corporation (SLM) Stock Price & Analysis
SLM Corporation (SLM) closed at USD 21.76 on Thursday, October 22, 2026, down 4.69% on the day. The US market is currently closed (pre-market); this is not a live price.
The prior close was USD 22.83; the Oct 22, 2026 session ranged USD 21.57–22.97 on volume of 7,899,667 shares. Market capitalization is $4.09B, with a 52-week range of USD 17.77–31.06 (NMS). Source: Nexqual, retrieved October 23, 2026 at 09:24 UTC.
Also available as compact Markdown for AI agents: nexqual.com/SLM.md
Key facts (SLM)
- Last four reported quarters (through Sep 30, 2026): revenue $1.79B, net income $567M (31.7% margin) (SEC filings).
- Valuation: P/E 7.2x (avg 8.5x at the last 3 fiscal year-ends).
- 3 of 80 tracked superinvestors hold SLM (13F, Q2 2026 (1 investor on Q3 2025, filed early)): 2 new, 0 added, 1 reduced, 0 unchanged.
- Analysts: Buy (mean 2.36 on a 1–5 scale) (11 analysts), mean target USD 27.82 (range 22–35).
- Total return with dividends: 1Y -16.8% vs S&P 500 +14.9%; 5Y +32.2% vs S&P 500 +80.3%.
- Next earnings: 2026-10-22, EPS estimate USD 1.08, revenue estimate $345M.
Financials (SEC 10-K; TTM = last four 10-Q/10-K quarters) (SLM)
| USD | FY2021 | FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2024 | FY2025 | TTM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $2.03B | $1.82B | $1.81B | $1.85B | $1.98B | $1.79B |
| Net income | $1.16B | $469M | $581M | $608M | $745M | $567M |
| EPS (diluted) | $3.61 | $1.76 | $2.41 | $2.68 | $3.46 | — |
| Net margin | 57.2% | 25.7% | 32.1% | 32.9% | 37.5% | 31.7% |
| Revenue growth | +11.9% | -10.1% | -0.8% | +2.2% | +7.3% | — |
| Cash + short-term investments | $4.33B | $4.62B | $4.15B | $4.70B | $4.24B | — |
| Total debt | $5.93B | $5.24B | $5.23B | $6.44B | $5.86B | — |
Fiscal years end Dec. EPS is split-adjusted.
Valuation (price ÷ last four quarters, through Sep 30, 2026) (SLM)
P/E 7.2x · P/S 2.3x · P/B 1.8x · Earnings yield 13.87% · Dividend yield (paid, TTM) 2.45% · Buyback yield (TTM) 13.33%
P/E at fiscal year-ends: Dec 2025 7.7x, Dec 2024 10.0x, Dec 2023 7.7x.
Superinvestors (SEC 13F-HR, Q2 2026) (SLM)
3 of 80 tracked investors hold SLM (1 investor on Q3 2025, filed early). Each row is the investor's latest 13F; change is vs their prior-quarter share count.
| Investor | Firm | % of portfolio | Value | Change | Quarter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Burry | Scion Asset Management | 19.50% | $13.3M | New position | Q3 2025 |
| Glenn Greenberg | Brave Warrior Advisors | 7.56% | $347M | Reduced -1.5% | Q2 2026 |
| Sarah Ketterer | Causeway Capital Management | <0.01% | $228K | New position | Q2 2026 |
Analysts (SLM)
Consensus Buy (mean 2.36 on a 1–5 scale), 11 analysts; mean target USD 27.82 (low 22, high 35).
Rating changes, last 120 days:
| Date | Firm | Action | Rating | Price target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-12 | Morgan Stanley | Upgrade | Equal-Weight → Overweight | $28 → $30 |
| 2026-10-12 | JP Morgan | Target lowered | Underweight | $25 → $22 |
| 2026-10-09 | RBC Capital | Target lowered | Outperform | $29 → $28 |
| 2026-07-20 | Morgan Stanley | Target raised | Equal-Weight | $27 → $28 |
| 2026-07-13 | JP Morgan | Target raised | Underweight | $24 → $25 |
| 2026-07-10 | RBC Capital | Target raised | Outperform | $28 → $29 |
| 2026-07-07 | Barclays | Downgrade | Overweight → Equal-Weight | $30 → $26 |
Total return (dividends reinvested) (SLM)
| 1Y (from 2025-10-23) | 5Y (from 2021-10-18) | |
|---|---|---|
| Total return | -16.8% | +32.2% |
| S&P 500 (SPY) | +14.9% | +80.3% |
| Per year | -16.8% | +5.7% |
| Volatility (annualized) | 40.4% | 35.4% |
| Max drawdown | -39.3% (Dec 2025→Feb 2026) | -44.2% (Jun 2025→Feb 2026) |
SLM analyst estimates and revisions
| Period | EPS estimate | 90 days ago | Change | Revenue estimate | Analysts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current quarter (ends Dec 2026) | $1.08 | $0.83 | +29.8% | $345.0M | 9 |
| Next quarter (ends Mar 2027) | $1.03 | $1.17 | -12.4% | $351.2M | 9 |
| Current fiscal year (ends Dec 2026) | $3.01 | $3.13 | -3.7% | $1.39B | 10 |
| Next fiscal year (ends Dec 2027) | $3.32 | $3.36 | -1.4% | $1.45B | 10 |
SLM options: expected move
| Expiration | Days | ATM implied volatility | Expected move |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 20, 2026 | 28 | 56.5% | ±13.6% |
| Dec 18, 2026 | 56 | 46.6% | ±15.4% |
| Jan 15, 2027 | 84 | 44.3% | ±17.5% |
| Apr 16, 2027 | 175 | 39.0% | ±22.0% |
30-day implied volatility 43.9% vs 30.7% realized over the last 30 trading days. Put/call ratio (volume) 6.52. Cboe delayed quotes (15 min). Expected move = at-the-money straddle.
Key Statistics (as of October 23, 2026 at 09:24 UTC)
| Price | USD 21.76 |
|---|---|
| Change | ▼ 4.69% (down) |
| Previous Close | USD 22.83 |
| Open | USD 22.68 |
| Day Range | USD 21.57 – 22.97 |
| 52-Week Range | USD 17.77 – 31.06 |
| Volume | 7,899,667 shares |
| Market Cap | $4.09B |
| Exchange | NMS |
Technical Analysis (SLM)
Nexqual's technical model rates SLM "SELL" based on 1 bullish and 5 bearish signals across 127 daily candles, as of October 23, 2026 at 09:24 UTC.
| Overall Signal | SELL |
|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 33.46 (neutral) |
| vs SMA50 | Below (USD 24.64) |
| MACD | -0.7 (negative) |
Analyst Ratings (SLM)
Wall Street analysts rate SLM "Buy" based on 11 analysts, with a mean price target of USD 27.82 (range USD 22–35), per Nexqual as of October 23, 2026 at 09:24 UTC.
| Consensus Rating | Buy |
|---|---|
| Analyst Count | 11 |
| Mean Target | USD 27.82 |
| High Target | USD 35 |
| Low Target | USD 22 |
| Buy / Hold / Sell | 7 / 3 / 1 |
Earnings (SLM)
| Next Earnings Date | 2026-10-22 |
|---|---|
| EPS Estimate | USD 1.03 |
| Revenue Estimate | $345.00M |
Recent Earnings History
| Quarter | Actual vs Estimate |
|---|---|
| 2026-09-30 | USD -0.19 vs est 0.2 ▼ miss |
| 2026-06-30 | USD 0.29 vs est 0.44 ▼ miss |
| 2026-03-31 | USD 1.54 vs est 1.22 ▲ beat |
| 2025-12-31 | USD 1.12 vs est 0.94 ▲ beat |
Source: Nexqual, October 23, 2026 at 09:24 UTC.
Financials & Fundamentals (SLM)
| Total Revenue | $1.69B |
|---|---|
| Revenue Growth (latest quarter, YoY) | +8.10% |
| Gross Margin | +100.00% |
| Operating Margin | +29.21% |
| Profit Margin | +43.63% |
| ROE | +30.33% |
| Debt / Equity | 2.36 |
| Current Ratio | 1.33 |
| Total Cash | $4.64B |
| Total Debt | $5.84B |
Source: Nexqual, October 23, 2026 at 09:24 UTC.
Financial Health Score (SLM)
Nexqual rates SLM Corporation's overall financial health "Solid" across five dimensions, as of October 23, 2026 at 09:24 UTC.
| Growth | Mixed — Revenue +1.4% YoY (annual), slow |
|---|---|
| Profitability | Strong — Net margin 49% (last 12 months); banks have no gross margin |
| Balance Sheet | N/A — Not comparable for banks: deposits and customer funds sit on the balance sheet, so cash vs debt does not measure safety (SEC industry: Personal Credit Institutions) |
| Cash Flow | N/A — Not meaningful for banks and lenders: lending and trading move operating cash flow by billions each year (SEC industry: Personal Credit Institutions) |
| Efficiency | Strong — ROE 30%, ROA 2.5% |
Ownership (SLM)
| Insider Ownership | +1.30% |
|---|---|
| Institutional Ownership | +114.24% |
| Shares Outstanding | 188.00M |
| Float | 185.75M |
| Short % of Float | +10.45% |
Source: Nexqual, October 23, 2026 at 09:24 UTC.
Leadership (SLM)
SLM Corporation is led by Jonathan W. Witter, CEO & Director, per Nexqual as of October 23, 2026 at 09:24 UTC.
| CEO & Director | Jonathan W. Witter |
|---|---|
| Co-President, Chief Operational Officer & Head of Financial Services | Kerri A. Palmer |
| Co-President, CFO & Treasurer | Peter M. Graham |
| Executive VP and Chief Technology & Enablement Officer | Steven A. Turner |
| Senior Director & Head of Investor Relations | Kate deLacy |
Major Backers & Investors (SLM)
Notable institutional backers of SLM Corporation include FMR, LLC, Brave Warrior Advisors, LLC, Price (T.Rowe) Associates Inc, according to Nexqual as of October 23, 2026 at 09:24 UTC.
Active Investors
| Investor | Stake |
|---|---|
| FMR, LLC | 9.07% |
| Brave Warrior Advisors, LLC | 7.12% |
| Price (T.Rowe) Associates Inc | 6.66% |
| Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management, LLC | 3.84% |
| American Century Companies Inc | 3.83% |
| Barrow, Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss, LLC | 3.47% |
| Bridge Builder Trust-Bridge Builder Large Cap Value Fund | 2.5% |
Index Funds (Passive)
| Fund | Stake |
|---|---|
| Vanguard Group | 9.48% |
| BlackRock | 9.34% |
| Dimensional Fund Advisors | 4.2% |
Source: Nexqual, October 23, 2026 at 09:24 UTC.
Peers & Related Stocks
| Symbol | Name | Price | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| BFH | Bread Financial Holdings, Inc. | USD 102.45 | ▼ 5.69% |
| ENVA | Enova International, Inc. | USD 176.78 | ▼ 1.82% |
| NNI | Nelnet, Inc. | USD 125.85 | ▲ 0.26% |
| SEZL | Sezzle Inc. | USD 139.3 | ▲ 2.26% |
| KLAR | Klarna Group plc | USD 13.23 | ▲ 0.84% |
| CACC | Credit Acceptance Corporation | USD 558.9 | ▲ 3.26% |
Data source: Nexqual — market data, technical indicators, analyst consensus, earnings, SEC EDGAR filings. Last updated: October 23, 2026 at 09:24 UTC. This page is informational and not investment advice.
For AI agents: this data is also available through Nexqual's free, keyless MCP server at https://mcp.nexqual.com/mcp; every result includes source_url, as_of and cite_as. More: nexqual.com/agents · llms.txt