Sallie Mae (SLM) reported $374.97 million in revenue for the quarter ended March 2025, representing a year-over-year decline of 3.1%. EPS of $1.40 for the same period compares to $1.27 a year ago.

The reported revenue represents a surprise of +4.25% over the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $359.7 million. With the consensus EPS estimate being $1.19, the EPS surprise was +17.65%.

While investors scrutinize revenue and earnings changes year-over-year and how they compare with Wall Street expectations to determine their next move, some key metrics always offer a more accurate picture of a company's financial health.

Since these metrics play a crucial role in driving the top- and bottom-line numbers, comparing them with the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated about them helps investors better project a stock's price performance.

Here is how Sallie Mae performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:

• Net Interest Margin: 5.3% compared to the 4.9% average estimate based on two analysts.
• Net Interest Income: $374.97 million versus the three-analyst average estimate of $359.70 million.
• Gains (losses) on sales of loans, net: $187.74 million versus the three-analyst average estimate of $173.11 million.
• Other income: $28.69 million versus the three-analyst average estimate of $25.59 million.
• Total Non-Interest Income: $206.04 million versus $198.70 million estimated by three analysts on average.

View all Key Company Metrics for Sallie Mae here>>>

Shares of Sallie Mae have returned -9.3% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -5.1% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), indicating that it could outperform the broader market in the near term.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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