SLM Stock — SLM Corporation

SLM Corporation (SLM)

Updated October 16, 2026.

SLM is a Stock. its distribution rate is 2.38%, its trailing-12-month yield is 2.38%. Dividend Vision Distribution Safety Score™ is 80/100 (Safe). Its deepest 1-year drawdown was 39.3%.

SLM Corporation originates and services private education loans to students and their families in the United States, while also offering retail deposit products such as high-yield savings accounts and money market accounts. The company distributes earnings on a quarterly basis at a modest current distribution rate. The stock appeals to income-focused investors seeking exposure to the education lending sector.

SLM performance

Returns are updating. SLM's total return appears here after the next nightly update.

Its deepest 1-year drawdown was 39.3%.

SLM key facts

Distribution Safety Score™

80 · Safe

Safety-Adjusted Yield

1.90%

Asset type

Stock

Asset class

Equity

Inception date

09/23/1983

Distribution rate

2.38%

Distribution frequency

Quarterly

Trailing yield

2.38%

5-year average yield

1.91

Last close

$21.81 (as of 2026-10-16)

Market cap

$4,100,280,000

Average volume

2700235.0

Dividend

$0.13

Ex-dividend date

09/04/2026

Payment date

09/15/2026

Beta

0.976

Payout ratio

14.5%

P/E ratio

6.08

Forward P/E

6.9444

EPS

$3.59

How Dividend Vision calculates yield and returns

Distribution rate (2.38%) uses calculation basis unavailable. Issuer rates can use a different denominator and date, including ex-date NAV. Trailing-12-month yield (2.38%) is the sum of split-adjusted cash distributions with ex-dates in the last 12 months, divided by the published price. It lags a recent raise or cut. Total return uses split-adjusted close with distributions reinvested on the ex-dividend date (a modeling convention, not the cash-settlement date) from the first stored bar on or after inception through the latest bar, compared with the same window on the benchmark. That is the security's total return, not your personal gain/loss.

Yield and safety methodology · Distribution rate methodology · Distribution Safety Score methodology

Sources and review

Primary sources: prices and distributions from Dividend Vision, derived from vendor EOD data.

Reviewed by Bert Sweet, CEO and Co-owner of Dividend Vision. Methodology: Distribution Safety Score.

SLM risks and drawbacks

SLM's current distribution rate is moderate, not a high-yield payout — the strategy is dividend quality more than maximum income. Payments are quarterly, so cash flow is lumpy versus a monthly fund. The deepest 1-year drawdown on record here is 39.3%.

Who may consider SLM — and who may not

SLM may suit someone looking for a high Distribution Safety Score, moderate current income with a quality tilt. It is a weaker fit for investors who need monthly cash flow (SLM pays quarterly); investors hunting double-digit covered-call yields. This is educational context, not a recommendation to buy or sell.

More on SLM

• All tickers starting with S

Tagged: Financials, Dividend.

Frequently asked questions