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SLM Stock Forecast: SLM Corp. Price Predictions for 2026-2027

Last close, 4 Sept 2026
$27
+2.77% on the day

The 11 Wall Street analysts covering SLM Corp. hold a median 12-month price target of $28 — +3.4% from the last close. Ticker Nerd's systematic factor model, run across ~4,600 US stocks, ranks it 93 of 100 as at 7 Sept 2026 — among the strongest tenth. Here, the model and the Street point the same way.

Market cap
$5.1B
Ticker Nerd rank
93 / 100
Median analyst target
$28
Analysts covering
11
Revenue$401.1M−0.6% y/y
Net income$58.5M
Free cash flow−$134.8M
Quarterly, 8 quarters to 30 June 2026 · latest quarter's figure shown
Total return, dividends reinvested
1W
+3.1%
1M
−2.3%
YTD
+1.7%
1Y
−12.9%
From 52W high
−12.9%
From 52W low
+46.9%
$18
$31
52-week range, adjusted closes · the dot is the last close
Ticker Nerd rank

SLM stock analysis: one number for the whole business

Consensus tells you what everyone already believes. The model scores SLM Corp. on its factor families — the same systematic rank behind the Ticker Nerd portfolio.

Where the model ranks itAs at 7 Sept 2026
93 / 100

Percentile across ~4,600 US stocks on Ticker Nerd’s systematic factor model. Higher is better. How the model is built and tested

Issuance
98
Growth
90
Value
89
Volatility
83
Quality
83
Accruals
68
Revisions
59
Momentum
42
Size
23

Issuance (98): The share count has been shrinking and the company is not leaning on new borrowing.

Momentum (42): The shares have been drifting down relative to others.

Size (23): Larger than most of the companies we track — more scrutinised, less often mispriced.

Built and run by Aslam Ghouse, an ex-Goldman Sachs quant trader with fourteen years in markets.

Wall Street

SLM stock forecast 2026-2027: analyst price targets & predictions

The bullish and bearish analyst opinions on SLM, reported as data — targets and ratings, the market's view beside the model's.

Share price and the analyst range, 12 monthsAdjusted close, US dollars
$20$25$30$35Oct 25Jan 26Apr 26Jul 26SLMHigh $35Median $28Low $23

Price targets and ratings are third-party analyst estimates, reported here as data. They are not Ticker Nerd forecasts, and they are frequently wrong.

Data provided by Twelve Data

What Wall Street says11 analysts
6 Buy4 Hold1 Sell
Low $23Median $28High $35

The green dot is the last close — the median target sits +3.4% from it.

Recent analyst actionsNewest first

Of the 20 most recent actions, 3 moved their price target up and 1 moved it down.

DateFirmActionRatingTarget
20 July 2026Morgan StanleyMaintainsEqual-Weight$27 → $28
13 July 2026JP MorganMaintainsUnderweight$24 → $25
10 July 2026RBC CapitalMaintainsOutperform$28 → $29
10 July 2026RBC CapitalMaintainsOutperform—
7 July 2026BarclaysDowngradeEqual-Weight$30 → $26
7 July 2026BarclaysDowngradeEqual-Weight—
24 Apr 2026BarclaysMaintainsOverweight—
16 Apr 2026Morgan StanleyMaintainsEqual-Weight—
9 Apr 2026JP MorganMaintainsUnderweight—
9 Apr 2026Wells FargoMaintainsOverweight—
6 Apr 2026BarclaysMaintainsOverweight—
30 Mar 2026Compass PointUpgradeNeutral—
18 Feb 2026Morgan StanleyMaintainsEqual-Weight—
23 Jan 2026Wells FargoMaintainsOverweight—
12 Jan 2026JP MorganDowngradeUnderweight—
11 Dec 2025Wells FargoMaintainsOverweight—
10 Dec 2025Keefe, Bruyette & WoodsMaintainsMarket Perform—
9 Dec 2025Compass PointDowngradeSell—
9 Dec 2025Morgan StanleyDowngradeEqual-Weight—
5 Dec 2025TD CowenMaintainsBuy—

Price targets and ratings are third-party analyst estimates, reported here as data. They are not Ticker Nerd forecasts, and they are frequently wrong.

Market Radar

This page is one stock. Monday covers all of them.

Computed off the Friday close and sent before the US open.

Market Radar reports the week’s largest rank changes across roughly 4,600 US stocks, the factor behind each one, and where the market went. SLM appears on the weeks it earns a place.

Free, every Monday. Unsubscribe any time.

Performance

SLM vs the S&P 500

Both lines are total return — dividends reinvested — so the comparison is honest on both sides.

Over the twelve months to 4 Sept 2026, SLM Corp. returned −12.9% against +20.0% for the S&P 500, dividends included.

SLM vs S&P 500, last 12 monthsTotal return, rebased to 100
60708090100110120Oct 25Jan 26Apr 26Jul 26SLMS&P 500

Download this chart as an image — free to reuse; link this page as the source.

Data provided by Twelve Data

Estimates

SLM analyst estimate revisions

Not the forecast itself — the direction analysts are revising it. Revision direction is one of the model's factor families.

Which way the estimates are movingNext fiscal year
EPS revision, 90 days
−1.0%
Analysts raising
2
Analysts cutting
5
Fundamentals

SLM Corp. (SLM) financial data

A margin means little on its own. Each bar marks where the figure sits across the whole US universe we score.

Valuation
Trailing P/E
7.4×

Cheaper than 62% of US stocks

Price / sales
3.0×

Cheaper than 42% of US stocks

Price / book
2.0×

Cheaper than 46% of US stocks

EV / EBITDA
—
Growth & margins
Revenue growth (YoY)
8.1%

Higher than 47% of US stocks

Earnings growth (YoY)
−17.9%

Higher than 21% of US stocks

Gross margin
—
Operating margin
29.2%

Higher than 87% of US stocks

Net margin
43.6%

Higher than 95% of US stocks

Returns & dividend
Return on equity
30.3%

Higher than 88% of US stocks

Return on assets
2.5%

Higher than 62% of US stocks

Dividend yield
2.0%

Higher than 44% of US dividend payers

Bars mark the percentile across the ~4,600 US stocks Ticker Nerd covers, among those reporting the figure.

Key statistics

SLM Corp. (SLM) statistics: revenue, profit & scale

The headline figures, each with its date. Every row carries its own link — cite it straight from here.

  • SLM Corp. has a market value of $5.1B and an enterprise value of $6.5B.

  • Revenue in the twelve months to 30 June 2026: $2.0B. The latest quarter grew 8.1% year on year.

  • Net income over the same four quarters: $735.5M, a 37.5% net margin.

  • Diluted earnings per share, trailing twelve months: $3.58.

  • Free cash flow in the twelve months to 30 June 2026: −$324.6M.

  • SLM Corp. spent $561.1M on share buybacks and $118.1M on dividends in the twelve months to 30 June 2026.

  • Shares outstanding: 188.0M.

  • Trailing P/E: 7.4×; forward P/E: 7.9× — the forward figure prices analyst consensus estimates, not reported earnings.

  • Forward dividend yield: 1.96%, paying out 14% of earnings.

  • SLM Corp. employs 1,788 people — $1.1M of revenue per employee.

Statement figures: company filings via Twelve Data, four quarters to 30 June 2026 · market figures as at 8 Sept 2026

Data provided by Twelve Data

Peers

SLM vs competitors

The nearest names by industry and size, scored by the same model — like for like.

Its peer group, ranked by the same modelCredit Services
CompanyMarket capTKN rank
SLMSLM Corp.$5.1B
93
NNINelnet, Inc.$4.6B
59
ENVAEnova International, Inc.$5.8B
86
BFHBread Financial Holdings, Inc.$4.5B
98
CACCCredit Acceptance Corp.$6.3B
86
SEZLSezzle, Inc.$4.1B
90
OMFOneMain Holdings, Inc.$7.6B
76

Look up any of the roughly 4,600 stocks we score.

The rank is the raw material. Whether the rules would actually own SLM Corp. — and when they’d sell — is the membership. See the Ticker Nerd 20 →

News

Latest SLM news & analysis

“How America Pays for College 2026” Finds Overwhelming Majority of Families Continue to View College as a Valuable Investment and More Than 8 in 10 Are Confident in How They Paid for It

Business Wire · 12 Aug 2026positive

Sallie Mae's "How America Pays for College 2026" study, conducted with Ipsos, found that 91% of families view higher education as a valuable investment and 84% are confident in their financial decisions to pay for it.

Why it matters — High confidence and perceived value among families in paying for college is positive for SLM Corp. (Sallie Mae), as it supports continued demand for student lending products.

Sallie Mae Q2 Earnings Miss Estimates, NII Dips, Expenses Rise Y/Y

Zacks Investment Research · 24 July 2026negative

Sallie Mae (SLM) reported second-quarter earnings that missed analyst estimates, with net interest income declining and expenses rising year over year, despite growth in loan originations.

Why it matters — The earnings miss, driven by margin pressure and higher costs, signals headwinds to SLM's profitability that investors should monitor.

SLM Corporation (SLM) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript

Seeking Alpha · 24 July 2026neutral

SLM Corporation held its Q2 2026 earnings call, and Seeking Alpha published a transcript of the event.

Why it matters — An earnings call transcript provides SLM watchers with management's detailed commentary on quarterly financial results and the company's outlook.

Sallie Mae (SLM) Q2 Earnings: How Key Metrics Compare to Wall Street Estimates

Zacks Investment Research · 23 July 2026neutral

An article discusses Sallie Mae's second-quarter 2026 earnings, noting that key metrics including revenue and EPS are being compared to Wall Street estimates and year-ago figures.

Why it matters — A Sallie Mae watcher would care because the analysis shows how the company's quarterly financial performance stacked up against analyst expectations and prior-year results.

Sallie Mae (SLM) Misses Q2 Earnings and Revenue Estimates

Zacks Investment Research · 23 July 2026negative

Sallie Mae (SLM) reported Q2 earnings of $0.29 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.46 per share and down from $0.32 per share in the same quarter last year.

Why it matters — The earnings miss and year-over-year decline signal weaker-than-expected financial performance for SLM in the second quarter.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about SLM stock

What is the SLM stock price forecast for 2026-2027?

The 11 Wall Street analysts covering SLM Corp. have a median 12-month price target of $28, with estimates ranging from $23 to $35. These are third-party analyst estimates, not Ticker Nerd forecasts, and they are frequently wrong.

Is SLM stock a buy right now?

Of the 11 analysts covering SLM Corp., 6 rate it a Buy, 4 a Hold and 1 a Sell. Ticker Nerd's systematic factor model ranks SLM Corp. 93 out of 100 across roughly 4,600 US stocks as at 7 Sept 2026. None of this is personal advice — it does not consider your circumstances.

How does Ticker Nerd's model rank SLM?

As at 7 Sept 2026, SLM Corp. ranks 93 out of 100 on Ticker Nerd's systematic factor model — a percentile across roughly 4,600 US stocks, built from its factor families. Its strongest factor family is Issuance (98 of 100).

Will SLM stock go up?

No one can know that. What the data says: the median 12-month target from 11 analysts implies +3.4% from the last close, and Ticker Nerd's factor model ranks SLM Corp. 93 out of 100 as at 7 Sept 2026. Analyst targets are third-party estimates and frequently wrong; none of this is personal advice.

What is the SLM stock forecast for 2030?

No analyst covering SLM Corp. publishes a 2030 price target — Wall Street targets run 12 to 18 months out. Sites quoting a 2030 price for SLM are extrapolating price history, which says nothing about the business. The furthest attributed numbers are the current analyst targets: $23 to $35 over the next 12 months.

How has SLM stock performed over the past year?

SLM Corp. returned -12.9% over the 12 months to 4 Sept 2026, with dividends reinvested. Past performance does not indicate future returns.

What does SLM Corp. do?

SLM Corp. is a U.S.

What is the latest news on SLM?

The most recent item we track (Business Wire, 12 Aug 2026): "“How America Pays for College 2026” Finds Overwhelming Majority of Families Continue to View College as a Valuable Investment and More Than 8 in 10 Are Confident in How They Paid for It". Sallie Mae's "How America Pays for College 2026" study, conducted with Ipsos, found that 91% of families view higher education as a valuable investment and 84% are confident in their financial decisions to pay for it.

Company

About SLM Corp.

SLM Corp. is a U.S. financial services company focused on education financing and consumer banking. Through its subsidiaries, SLM Corp. originates and services private education loans for students and families covering higher-education costs in the United States. The company also offers deposit products such as high-yield savings accounts, money market accounts, and certificates of deposit, along with related banking services. In addition, SLM Corp. supports college savings and other education-focused financial tools that help households plan and fund tuition and related expenses. Headquartered in Newark, Delaware, SLM Corp. operates as a specialized provider in the consumer finance market, combining lending and deposit-taking activities around the broader theme of paying for college.

CEO Mr. Jonathan W. Witter · 1,788 employees · United States · https://www.salliemae.com