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Side-by-side financial comparison of SLM Corp (SLM) and Strategic Education, Inc. (STRA). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
SLM Corp is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($560.0M vs $305.9M, roughly 1.8× Strategic Education, Inc.). SLM Corp runs the higher net margin — 55.0% vs 10.7%, a 44.3% gap on every dollar of revenue. Over the past eight quarters, SLM Corp's revenue compounded faster (22.7% CAGR vs -1.0%).
Nikon SLM Solutions AG, headquartered in Lübeck, Germany, is a manufacturer of 3D metal printers listed on the stock market and co-owner of the word mark SLM. The shares of SLM Solutions Group AG have been listed in Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange since May 9, 2014.
Strategic Education, Inc. (SEI) is an education services holding company and is formerly known as Strayer Education, Inc. The company owns for-profit, online Capella University and Strayer University, as well as non-degree programs schools such as DevMountain, Hackbright Academy, and Sophia Learning.
SLM vs STRA — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q1 FY2026 vs Q1 FY2026
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $560.0M | $305.9M |
| Net Profit | $308.0M | $32.8M |
| Gross Margin | — | — |
| Operating Margin | 69.6% | 13.4% |
| Net Margin | 55.0% | 10.7% |
| Revenue YoY | — | 0.8% |
| Net Profit YoY | 1.0% | 10.3% |
| EPS (diluted) | $1.54 | $1.48 |
Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.
8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend
Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.
| Q1 26 | $560.0M | $305.9M | ||
| Q4 25 | $377.1M | $323.2M | ||
| Q3 25 | $373.0M | $319.9M | ||
| Q2 25 | $376.8M | $321.5M | ||
| Q1 25 | $375.0M | $303.6M | ||
| Q4 24 | $362.2M | $311.5M | ||
| Q3 24 | $359.4M | $306.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $372.2M | $312.3M |
| Q1 26 | $308.0M | $32.8M | ||
| Q4 25 | $233.2M | $37.9M | ||
| Q3 25 | $135.8M | $26.6M | ||
| Q2 25 | $71.3M | $32.3M | ||
| Q1 25 | $304.5M | $29.7M | ||
| Q4 24 | $111.6M | $25.3M | ||
| Q3 24 | $-45.2M | $27.7M | ||
| Q2 24 | $252.0M | $29.9M |
| Q1 26 | 69.6% | 13.4% | ||
| Q4 25 | 83.8% | 16.0% | ||
| Q3 25 | 49.8% | 11.6% | ||
| Q2 25 | 23.3% | 14.2% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 13.1% | ||
| Q4 24 | 36.5% | 11.6% | ||
| Q3 24 | -16.6% | 11.9% | ||
| Q2 24 | 91.0% | 13.4% |
| Q1 26 | 55.0% | 10.7% | ||
| Q4 25 | 61.8% | 11.7% | ||
| Q3 25 | 36.4% | 8.3% | ||
| Q2 25 | 18.9% | 10.1% | ||
| Q1 25 | 81.2% | 9.8% | ||
| Q4 24 | 30.8% | 8.1% | ||
| Q3 24 | -12.6% | 9.1% | ||
| Q2 24 | 67.7% | 9.6% |
| Q1 26 | $1.54 | $1.48 | ||
| Q4 25 | $1.11 | $1.65 | ||
| Q3 25 | $0.63 | $1.15 | ||
| Q2 25 | $0.32 | $1.37 | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.40 | $1.24 | ||
| Q4 24 | $0.53 | $1.05 | ||
| Q3 24 | $-0.23 | $1.15 | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.11 | $1.24 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | $5.2B | $150.3M |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | $6.2B | — |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $2.4B | $1.6B |
| Total Assets | $29.4B | $2.1B |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | 2.53× | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | $5.2B | $150.3M | ||
| Q4 25 | $4.2B | $148.1M | ||
| Q3 25 | $3.5B | $172.6M | ||
| Q2 25 | $4.1B | $164.9M | ||
| Q1 25 | $3.7B | $182.6M | ||
| Q4 24 | $4.7B | $184.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $4.5B | $222.1M | ||
| Q2 24 | $5.3B | $256.2M |
| Q1 26 | $6.2B | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $5.4B | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $6.8B | — | ||
| Q2 25 | $6.4B | — | ||
| Q1 25 | $6.1B | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $6.4B | — | ||
| Q3 24 | $6.0B | — | ||
| Q2 24 | $5.4B | — |
| Q1 26 | $2.4B | $1.6B | ||
| Q4 25 | $2.5B | $1.6B | ||
| Q3 25 | $2.3B | $1.7B | ||
| Q2 25 | $2.4B | $1.7B | ||
| Q1 25 | $2.4B | $1.6B | ||
| Q4 24 | $2.2B | $1.7B | ||
| Q3 24 | $2.1B | $1.7B | ||
| Q2 24 | $2.3B | $1.7B |
| Q1 26 | $29.4B | $2.1B | ||
| Q4 25 | $29.7B | $2.0B | ||
| Q3 25 | $29.6B | $2.1B | ||
| Q2 25 | $29.6B | $2.1B | ||
| Q1 25 | $28.9B | $2.1B | ||
| Q4 24 | $30.1B | $2.0B | ||
| Q3 24 | $30.0B | $2.2B | ||
| Q2 24 | $28.8B | $2.2B |
| Q1 26 | 2.53× | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 2.19× | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 2.92× | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 2.70× | — | ||
| Q1 25 | 2.56× | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 2.98× | — | ||
| Q3 24 | 2.83× | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 2.37× | — |
Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency
How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash FlowLast quarter | — | $87.4M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | — | $77.3M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | — | 25.3% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | — | — |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | — | 2.66× |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | — | $173.9M |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | $87.4M | ||
| Q4 25 | $-64.5M | $39.2M | ||
| Q3 25 | $-49.3M | $60.1M | ||
| Q2 25 | $-138.7M | $31.2M | ||
| Q1 25 | $-146.1M | $67.7M | ||
| Q4 24 | $4.5M | $15.9M | ||
| Q3 24 | $-113.4M | $51.5M | ||
| Q2 24 | $-143.8M | $24.3M |
| Q1 26 | — | $77.3M | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $27.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $49.3M | ||
| Q2 25 | — | $20.4M | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $57.3M | ||
| Q4 24 | — | $4.7M | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $42.1M | ||
| Q2 24 | — | $13.6M |
| Q1 26 | — | 25.3% | ||
| Q4 25 | — | 8.3% | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 15.4% | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 6.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 18.9% | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 1.5% | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 13.8% | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 4.3% |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | — | 3.8% | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 3.4% | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 3.4% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 3.4% | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 3.6% | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 3.1% | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 3.4% |
| Q1 26 | — | 2.66× | ||
| Q4 25 | -0.28× | 1.03× | ||
| Q3 25 | -0.36× | 2.26× | ||
| Q2 25 | -1.95× | 0.97× | ||
| Q1 25 | -0.48× | 2.27× | ||
| Q4 24 | 0.04× | 0.63× | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 1.86× | ||
| Q2 24 | -0.57× | 0.81× |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
SLM
| Net Interest Income | $375.0M | 67% |
| Noninterest Income | $185.0M | 33% |
STRA
| U.S. Higher Education | $212.6M | 69% |
| Australia/New Zealand | $51.8M | 17% |
| Education Technology Services | $41.5M | 14% |
