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SLM · SLM Corp

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$28.03 +0.29 (+1.05%) At close · Aug 14
Market Cap
$5.26B
Shares
187.95M
All earnings calls

Earnings call · FY2026 Q1

SLM Corp Q1 FY2026 Earnings Call

SLM Corp Q1 FY2026 Earnings Call

Concluded Apr 23, 2026
Apr 23, 2026 50 turns
Period
FY2026 Q1
Runtime
Sources
3 artifacts

Executive readout · one minute

What matters this quarter

SLM reported Q1 2026 GAAP diluted EPS of $1.54, up from $1.40 a year ago, with private education loan originations up 5% year-over-year, and raised its full-year 2026 diluted EPS guidance.

Guidance and Outlook 21 Loan Originations and Growth 16 Net Charge-Offs and Delinquencies 10 Capital Return and Share Repurchases 9 Loan Sales and Strategic Partnerships 8 Credit Quality and Underwriting 5

Management tone

Confident

Net tone +75 · low hedging

Grounding quotes
  • “Our performance in the quarter was strong as we continue to reap the benefits of the strategy we have been pursuing for the last several years.”
  • “These results support our belief that we have built a business and are executing a strategy that is capable of performing in almost any environment.”
  • “Credit quality across new originations remained strong, with cosigner rates increasing to 95% and average FICO approval rising modestly to 754.”
  • “We feel great about the underwriting changes we have made and how our loss mitigation programs are performing, and we think we are generating the loss profile we would hope for during a time that has been relatively stressed for some borrowers, with the elevated unemployment rate I talked about over the last six months.”

Forward guidance

4 guided metrics

Management's latest ranges and targets are included below.

Research coverage

3 live sources

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Diluted EPS $1.54 +10% YoY
Net income $307.95M +1.1% YoY

Research materials

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Key takeaways

What improved, and what deserves a closer read.

Constructive signals

  • Diluted EPS of $1.54, up from $1.40 in the year-ago quarter.
  • Private education loan originations of $2.9 billion, up 5% year-over-year.
  • Net interest margin of 5.29%, up sequentially and year-over-year on lower funding costs.
  • Executed $3.3 billion in loan sales generating $146 million in gains, including a $2 billion seasoned portfolio sale.
  • Launched a $200 million ASR and year-to-date repurchased ~12 million shares (6% of year-end 2025 shares) at an average $21.50; expect to fully utilize the $500 million authorization in 2026.
  • Cosigner rate rose to 95% and average FICO approval rose to 754 versus 86% and 750 five years ago, reflecting tighter credit quality.

Risks & pressure points

  • Net charge-offs of $89 million came in modestly ahead of expectation and 2025 forbearance in disaster areas is creating tougher year-over-year comparisons.
  • Non-interest expenses rose to $171 million from $155 million a year ago on targeted investments in graduate lending growth.
  • Recorded an $11 million negative provision, partially driven by growth in loan commitments and updates to economic assumptions.
  • Expect NIM to moderate modestly through the year on higher liquidity following the March loan sale.
  • Earlier vintage borrowers under the old underwriting regime still entering their peak P&I stress period, leaving residual credit risk in the book.

Key moments

Jump directly to management's words in the synchronized transcript.

“Importantly, this performance precedes the expected multiyear growth in both undergraduate and graduate lending tied to federal reforms, which we believe could increase our originations by up to 70% over the next several years.” Jonathan Witter, CEO
“We expect our diluted earnings per common share for 2026 to be between $3.10 and $3.20. This revised outlook assumes the full utilization of our $500 million share repurchase authorization and roughly $1 billion of incremental loan sales beyond our initial plan.” Jonathan Witter, CEO

Forward guidance

From the 8-K filed Apr 23, 2026.

Metric Guided
Diluted Earnings Per Common Share
full-year 2026
$3.10 – $3.20
Net Charge-Offs
full-year 2026
$345M – $385M
Private Education Loan Originations Year-Over-Year Growth
full-year 2026
12% – 14%
Non-Interest Expenses
full-year 2026
$750M – $780M

Quarter detail

How the reported period landed and where the business moved.

Capital returned

Buybacks
$290.66M
Shares repurchased
12.03M
Dividend / share
$0.13
Full-screen source Call document