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SLM
$26.84+Infinity%1D
Analyst Views on SLM
Wall Street analysts forecast SLM stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for SLM is 33.44 USD with a low forecast of 29.00 USD and a high forecast of 39.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
9 Analyst Rating
Wall Street analysts forecast SLM stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for SLM is 33.44 USD with a low forecast of 29.00 USD and a high forecast of 39.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
7 Buy
2 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 26.490
Low
29.00
Averages
33.44
High
39.00
Current: 26.490
Low
29.00
Averages
33.44
High
39.00
Wells Fargo
Overweight
downgrade
$35 -> $30
2025-12-11
Reason
Wells Fargo
Price Target
$35 -> $30
2025-12-11
downgrade
Overweight
Reason
Wells Fargo lowered the firm's price target on SLM to $30 from $35 and keeps an Overweight rating on the shares. The firm is also lowering its forward EPS estimates to reflect less gain-on-sale from loan sales and higher opex in front of the origination increase expected from Fed government regulatory changes.
Deutsche Bank
Buy
downgrade
$42 -> $37
2025-12-10
Reason
Deutsche Bank
Price Target
$42 -> $37
2025-12-10
downgrade
Buy
Reason
Deutsche Bank lowered the firm's price target on SLM to $37 from $42 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares. The firm updated the company's model post the investor forum.
Compass Point
Giuliano Bologna
Buy
to
Sell
downgrade
$35 -> $23
2025-12-09
Reason
Compass Point
Giuliano Bologna
Price Target
$35 -> $23
2025-12-09
downgrade
Buy
to
Sell
Reason
Compass Point analyst Giuliano Bologna downgraded SLM to Sell from Buy with a price target of $23, down from $35.
Compass Point
Buy -> Sell
downgrade
$35 -> $23
2025-12-09
Reason
Compass Point
Price Target
$35 -> $23
2025-12-09
downgrade
Buy -> Sell
Reason
As previously reported, Compass Point double downgraded SLM to Sell from Buy with a price target of $23, down from $35, after the company hosted an investor forum to present an updated medium-term outlook that reflects expected growth from the Grad PLUS opportunity and the impact of its recently launched strategic partnership loan-sale program. The forum update "signals a major reset," says the analyst, who adds that this reset is "a major surprise" given prior expectations for steady EPS improvement from the current FY25 outlook and notes that FY26 EPS is now projected to decline about 19% year-over-year.
About SLM
SLM Corporation is a holding company, which operates through various subsidiaries and is a financial brand for higher education. The Company’s primary business is to originate and service loans it makes to students and their families to finance the cost of their education. It also offers a range of deposit products insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Its primary private education loan product is the Smart Option Student Loan, which emphasizes in-school payment features that can produce shorter terms and reduce customers’ total finance charges. The Smart Option Student Loan generally runs for six months after the borrower separates from school but can run for up to 36 months for a small subset of graduate loans. It also offers six loan products for specific graduate programs of study. These include the Sallie Mae Law School Loan, the Sallie Mae MBA Loan, the Sallie Mae Graduate School Loan for Health Professions, the Sallie Mae Medical School Loan, and others.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
