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SLM Corporation

SLMBP
41
Financial - Credit Services · Financial Services
Price
$75.00
-0.09 (-0.12%)
Market Cap
$6.73B
Exchange
NASDAQ
Winston Score
41
Winston is serious
Mixed quality — meaningful strengths and weaknesses.
Data as of Aug 9, 2026 · filings through Jun 30, 2026

Share count falling — buybacks

35.2% over 4y

The company has reduced its share count over this period, returning value to shareholders through buybacks.

Diluted shares outstanding: 319.9M (2021) → 207.2M (2025)

SLM Corporation, commonly known as Sallie Mae, is one of the largest private student loan companies in the United States. It lends money to college students and their families to help pay for tuition, housing, and other education costs. Sallie Mae focuses entirely on private student loans, meaning it operates separately from the federal government's student loan programs.

Sallie Mae makes money primarily by charging interest on the loans it issues to borrowers. It operates almost entirely within the United States and had roughly $21 billion in its loan portfolio in recent periods. Its competitive position comes from its long history and brand recognition in the education lending space, though it faces risk from rising loan defaults if the job market weakens and graduates struggle to repay their debt. The ongoing political debate around student loan forgiveness and potential regulatory changes to higher education financing remain key risks that could affect demand for private student loans going forward.

Winston Score History

Growth Profile

When traditional metrics don't capture the full picture, these are the signals growth stock investors use instead.

Revenue Growth

-1.9% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Revenue declining

EPS Growth

-9.4% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Earnings declining

R&D Spend

$0/ year

0.0% of revenue

Below sector average (7%)

Research and development spending

Insider Activity

1.3%ownership

Relatively low insider ownership

Cash Runway

5+ years

$6.5B cash & investments at current burn rate

Revenue declining

SLM Corporation's revenue is actually shrinking. In a growth stock, that removes the core investment thesis. The low Winston Score here may be warranted — unless there's a turnaround story.

The Winston Score above measures business quality today. Growth stocks often score lower because they invest in the future rather than maximising current profits. These metrics show what matters most for evaluating that future.

Score breakdown

Every number that matters to educated investors.

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Quality

Gross Margin
41.1%
Healthy — 41.1% gross margin
Operating Margin
12.0%
Healthy — 12.0% operating margin
ROCE
1.0%
Weak — 1.0% return on capital

ROIC between 0% and 5%. They earn a few cents back per dollar invested in the business.

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Growth

Sales YoY
+5.4%
Slow sales growth (+5.4% YoY)
EPS YoY
+78.3%
Earnings growing fast (+78.3% YoY)

Earnings growing 25%+ a year. The compounder zone.

EPS Consistency
4/8 quarters
Earnings inconsistent quarter-to-quarter

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Cash Flow

Cash Conversion
88%
Modest — 88% of profit becomes cash
FCF Margin
21.2%
Converts sales into free cash efficiently (21.2%)

Free cash flow margin above 20%. Out of every $100 in sales, more than $20 is real cash they keep.

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Stability

Debt / Equity
2.36
Heavy debt load (2.36)
Interest Cover
1.37x
Dangerous — barely covers interest (1.4x)

Interest coverage between 1 and 3. Profits cover interest, but with little room to spare.

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Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)
20.7x
Growth-priced — P/E 20.7

P/E above the market average. People are paying up for expected growth.

P/E vs Forward
-3.2
SLOWING
Earnings expected to fall — forward P/E higher than today

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Dividends

Dividend Yield
1.87%
Small dividend — 1.87% yield

Modest yield. The bulk of any return needs to come from price appreciation.

Dividend Growth
-10.7%
Dividend cut (-10.7% YoY) — warning sign

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