Stock fact sheet · data as of
SLM Corporation (SLM): fair value, margin of safety and Wheel Score
Ticker symbol SLM · Financial Services · Financial - Credit Services · United States · Blend Quality
Is SLM undervalued?
At 18.68 (close of 5 Nov 2026), SLM trades 78% below the GLS average fair value of 83.62. That average comes from 9 models run on the latest filings, and 8 of them land above the current price. Margins of safety over 30% are the exception rather than the rule across the ~7,400 stocks we value each night, so the number earns SLM Corporation the full Value points in the Wheel Score - and a closer look at what the market is pricing in.
The 9 models disagree widely: DDM gives 7.65 while GLS Growth gives 187.19. A spread that wide means the average is sensitive to which methods you trust; the model table below shows where each one lands, and the Quote page lets you switch any of them off.
Ranked against every other company we cover, neither cheapness nor growth clearly wins for SLM, so the nightly engine files it under Blend (value score 78, growth score 61, out of 100). It also carries the Quality tag (Quality = moat 7.5+ out of 10 and Piotroski 7+).
Nine valuation models for SLM
Each model turns the latest filed numbers into a value per share; the GLS fair value is the simple average of the ones that produce a positive number. The last two rows are shown for reference and never enter the average. The Quote page lets you switch any model off and add your own margin of safety.
| Model | Value | vs price | What it measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCF | 33.77 | +81% | Present value of the projected free cash flows, discounted at the cost of capital |
| Graham Number | 28.92 | +55% | The most a defensive investor pays for the earnings and book value per share |
| Graham Growth | 174.90 | +836% | Graham's growth formula: EPS × (8.5 + 2 × growth), adjusted for bond yields |
| Lynch | 76.44 | +309% | EPS × the earnings growth rate (PEG of 1), growth capped at 25% |
| GLS Growth | 187.19 | +902% | EPS compounded ten years at the blended growth rate, discounted back at 15% a year |
| 10 Cap | 82.60 | +342% | Owner's earnings (operating cash flow less maintenance capex) capitalised at 10% |
| Payback Time | 127.16 | +581% | Eight years of compounded free cash flow: the price at which the business pays for itself |
| DDM | 7.65 | -59% | Dividend discount model: next year's dividend ÷ (10% − 3% growth); needs a dividend |
| EPV | 33.97 | +82% | Earnings power value: current EPS capitalised at 9% with no growth |
| Zombie (liquidation) | -113.11 | -706% | Current assets less all liabilities, per share: the balance-sheet floor. Not in the average |
| Wall St target | 26.00 | +39% | Analysts' average 12-month price target. Not in the average |
Quality and financial health
On financial health SLM scores 7/9 (Piotroski): most of the nine tests - positive earnings and cash flow, falling debt, rising margins and turnover - are passed, which is the kind of balance sheet a wheel trader is happy to be assigned. The GLS Moat score is 8.3 out of 10 - high returns on capital, steady margins and growth that held up through bad years point to a durable business.
Returns on capital are moderate - ROIC 9.0%, ROE 30.4%, ROA 2.5% - with debt at 2.39 times equity and a free-cash-flow yield of 17.0%. Debt of 2.39 times equity is on the high side for the sector and is worth checking against the cash flow before treating the stock as a long-term hold.
The dividend yield is 2.78% at a payout ratio of 122%; for a wheel trader holding assigned shares the dividend adds to the covered-call premium, and the ex-dividend date is worth knowing before a call is sold. Revenue comes mainly from Business Services 70%, Core Earnings 25%, Ffelp Loans 5% (quarter Q1 FY2014).
Institutional ownership scores 10/10, insider activity 5/10 and Congressional trading 5/10 on the GLS smart-money scales.
| Piotroski F-score | 7 / 9 | ROIC | 9.0% |
|---|---|---|---|
| GLS Moat | 8.3 / 10 | ROE | 30.4% |
| Debt / equity | 2.39 | ROA | 2.5% |
| Free-cash-flow yield | 17.0% | Payout ratio | 122% |
| Institutions | 10 / 10 | Insiders · Congress | 5 · 5 / 10 |
Wheel Score 80: Good
SLM scores 80 out of 100 on the Wheel Score (Good band, 70-84): it passes all 9 Wheel Trade Filters. How it ranks: value strong, premium strong, moat strong, health good, red flags weak, option trading weak, stability fair; Red Flags (weak) holds it back.
Implied volatility is 48% on the near-the-money contracts 20-60 days out - inside the 35-60% sweet spot the Wheel Score rewards most: enough premium to be worth selling, not so much that the risk is unpaid. Chain open interest is 6,048 contracts across all expiries - enough for the wheel at normal size.
Volume runs at 5.3M shares a day on a market cap of $3.5B, with a beta of 1.02; the Stability part of the Wheel Score rates that fair.
| Filter | Wheel Trade Filter | Result | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Options that actually trade | Passes | Listed options with 1,000+ contracts of open interest and 100+ traded a day |
| 2 | A real business, not a gamble | Passes | Profitable over the last twelve months - not a speculative stock, fund or note |
| 3 | Below fair value | Passes | Trading below the nine-model average fair value (margin of safety above 0) |
| 4 | Financially healthy | Passes | Piotroski F-score 6 or more out of 9 (a company with no score on file passes) |
| 5 | Can repay its debt | Passes | Long-term debt repaid from 3 years of operating cash flow or less (6 for real estate and utilities; banks and insurers are not judged on it) |
| 6 | No serious red flags | Passes | Red Flags score 60 or more out of 100 (earnings, margins, debt, analysts, filings and price checked the same way for every stock) |
| 7 | A premium worth selling | Passes | Implied volatility 25-80% (enough premium, not a lottery ticket) |
| 8 | Big enough | Passes | Market cap $1 billion or more |
| 9 | Not a penny stock | Passes | Share price $5 or more |
| How it ranks | Rating | From | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value | Strong | 78% below fair value | |
| Premium | Strong | implied volatility 48% | |
| Moat | Strong | moat 8.3/10 | |
| Health | Good | Piotroski 7/9 | |
| Red Flags | Weak | Red Flags score 60/100 | |
| Option trading | Weak | 387 contracts a day, 6,048 open interest | |
| Stability | Fair | beta 1.02, $3.5B company |
The Wheel Score ranks ~7,400 US stocks for selling cash-secured puts and covered calls: a stock must pass all 9 Wheel Trade Filters to score 70, and the score then ranks the ones that pass; the Sunday Scan is the top 10. It is updated nightly and is not a recommendation. How the Wheel Score works · the walkthrough lesson shows how it fits into a trade, start to finish.
Upcoming events
The next earnings report is due on 28 Jan 2027, 84 days away - outside the window of a 30-45-day put sold today. The shares go ex-dividend on 4 Dec 2026 (0.1300 per share), so a covered call sold before then carries a small early-assignment risk around that date.
Analysts upgraded SLM 1 time in the last 30 days with no downgrades; the latest action was a reiterated rating by Wells Fargo on 23 Oct 2026.
Earnings, dividend, IPO, split and economic calendars for the whole market, filterable to your watchlists.
Similar stocks in Financial - Credit Services
The 12 companies below are the closest to SLM Corporation by market cap within the Financial - Credit Services industry, each with its own fact sheet; the Compare page puts up to eight of them side by side.
| Stock | Close | Fair value | MoS | Wheel | Mkt cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BFH Bread Financial Holdings, Inc. | 104.83 | 428.64 | +76% | 85Prime | $4.0B |
| JSM Navient Corporation SR NT 6% 121543 | 15.59 | 45.78 | +66% | 29No options | $4.3B |
| ENVA Enova International, Inc. | 181.18 | 713.58 | +75% | 79Good | $4.4B |
| NNI Nelnet, Inc. | 127.58 | 171.16 | +25% | 42Weak | $4.6B |
| SEZL Sezzle Inc. | 136.69 | 219.84 | +38% | 41Weak | $4.6B |
| CACC Credit Acceptance Corporation | 498.68 | 965.03 | +48% | 50Fair | $5.1B |
| KLAR Klarna Group plc | 13.89 | 8.37 | -66% | 31Weak | $5.2B |
| UPST Upstart Holdings, Inc. | 23.38 | 22.86 | -2% | 29Weak | $2.3B |
| ECPG Encore Capital Group, Inc. | 99.93 | 169.79 | +41% | 50Fair | $2.1B |
| WU The Western Union Company | 6.59 | 20.66 | +68% | 53Fair | $2.1B |
| SLMBP SLM Corporation | 70.99 | 236.36 | +70% | 38No options | $6.4B |
| AGM Federal Agricultural Mortgage | 205.58 | 332.98 | +38% | 80Good | $1.9B |
⚖ Compare SLM with 7 of them All Financial Services stocks →
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Start free See the Sunday ScanQuestions about SLM
Is SLM undervalued right now?
By the GLS models, yes: at 18.68 the stock is 78% below the average fair value of 83.62 (data as of 5 Nov 2026). Whether the discount is deserved is the question to research next.
What is the Wheel Score of SLM and what does it mean?
SLM scores 80 out of 100 (Good). The Wheel Score ranks stocks for the wheel strategy - selling cash-secured puts, then covered calls if assigned - in two parts: the 9 pass/fail Wheel Trade Filters (busy options, a real business, below fair value, Piotroski 6 or more, debt it can repay, a Red Flags score of 60 or more, implied volatility of 25-80%, a $1 billion company, $5 a share) and a ranking of how strongly a stock passes on value, premium, moat, health, red flags, option trading and stability. A stock that fails any filter stays under 70; 70-84 is Good, 85 and above is Prime. The Sunday Scan is the top 10 that pass, sorted by Wheel Score.
What is the GLS fair value for SLM?
83.62 per share as of 5 Nov 2026 - the simple average of the 9 valuation models (out of nine: DCF, Graham Number, Graham Growth, Lynch, GLS Growth, 10 Cap, Payback Time, DDM and EPV) that produced a positive value. The models run every night on the latest filings; the Quote page lets you switch any of them off and add a margin of safety of your own.
When does SLM Corporation report earnings next?
The next earnings report is due on 28 Jan 2027, 84 days from the data date of 5 Nov 2026. The Calendars page lists every upcoming report with its time of day.
Does SLM have listed options, and how liquid are they?
Yes. The nightly snapshot found 90 listed contracts with 6,048 open interest across all expiries and implied volatility of 48% on the near-the-money contracts. The Options scanner lists the cash-secured put and covered call set-ups with premium and annualised yield worked out.