Moody’s Corporation vs SLM Corp, two Credit Services stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Neither company's growth prints here, but the multiples price their durability very differently: Moody's at 32.3 times earnings, a ratings monopoly priced for permanence, SLM (Sallie Mae) at 7.1, a student lender priced for policy risk. Moody's earns 79.4% on equity (leverage-flattered) against SLM's 30.7%, and nets 31.7% of revenue against SLM's 49.8%, where SLM's fatter margin is the surprise. Both carry heavy leverage; SLM pays 2%, Moody's 0.84%. The rating agency's recurring, risk-free franchise commands more than four times the lender's multiple despite SLM's superior net margin, the market pricing student-lending's regulatory overhang against ratings' near-permanence. Two profitable businesses, one priced as eternal, one as endangered.
Comparison updated 2026-07-11.
| Metric | MCO | SLM |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $449.85 | $25.47 |
| Market cap | $79.8B | $5.0B |
| Sector | Financial Services | Financial Services |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +24.5% | — |
| P/E | 32.3 | 7.1 |
| P/B | 25.38 | 2.07 |
| P/S | 10.13 | 3.35 |
| EV/EBITDA | 21.9 | 1397.9 |
| Revenue growth | +9.1% | +2.3% |
| Operating margin | 44.4% | — |
| Net margin | 31.7% | 49.8% |
| Return on equity | 79.4% | 30.7% |
| Return on assets | 16.9% | 2.5% |
| Dividend yield | 0.8% | 2.0% |
| Debt / equity | 2.40 | 2.53 |
| Current ratio | 1.16 | — |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 6.66 | 0.40 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 7 / 9 | 6 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.