Which has the lower trailing P/E, CATY or SLM?

SLM has the lower trailing P/E: CATY trades at 11.75 and SLM at 6.32. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.

Which has grown faster, CATY or SLM?

Over the past five years, CATY grew revenue faster — CATY at a 14.32% CAGR versus SLM at 5.85%.

Does CATY or SLM pay a bigger dividend?

CATY yields 2.45% and SLM yields 2.29% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.

Is CATY or SLM more profitable?

CATY runs the higher net margin — CATY at 24.97% versus SLM at 23.97%.

How have CATY and SLM total returns compared?

Over the past 10 years, CATY delivered 10.27% and SLM delivered 13.41% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Cathay General Bancorp (CATY) vs SLM Corporation (SLM)

A side-by-side comparison of Cathay General Bancorp and SLM Corporation across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of October 6, 2026. Differences are shown without an overall score or investment verdict.

CATY

Cathay General Bancorp

$4.03B

$60.16Financial ServicesDelayed quote: Oct 6, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT

SLM

SLM Corporation

$4.25B

$22.58Financial ServicesDelayed quote: Oct 6, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT

Total return — CATY vs SLM

growth of $100 · dividends reinvested · last 10y

CATY +171.6% (+10.5%/yr)SLM +265.6% (+13.8%/yr)SLM compounded faster over this window

CATY SLM

CATY vs SLM: by the numbers

•SLM is the larger company ($4.25B vs $4.03B market cap).
•SLM trades at the lower trailing earnings multiple (6.32 vs 11.75 P/E), one valuation lens rather than an overall verdict.
•CATY converts more revenue to profit (24.97% vs 23.97% net margin).
•CATY grew revenue faster over the past five years (14.32% vs 5.85% CAGR).
•CATY pays the higher dividend yield (2.45% vs 2.29%).

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	CATY	SLM
P/E ratio	11.75	6.32
Forward P/E	10.79	7.24
PEG ratio	1.22	0.70
P/S ratio	2.90	1.38
P/B ratio	1.32	1.91

Profitability

Metric	CATY	SLM
Operating margin	33.16%	32.02%
Net margin	24.97%	23.97%
ROE	11.40%	29.72%

Cathay General Bancorp: Gross margin is not shown for a lender or insurer: its revenue is interest, premiums and fees rather than the sale of goods, so there is no cost of goods sold to measure it against.

SLM Corporation: Gross margin is not shown for a lender or insurer: its revenue is interest, premiums and fees rather than the sale of goods, so there is no cost of goods sold to measure it against.

Dividends

Metric	CATY	SLM
Dividend yield	2.45%	2.29%
Payout ratio	28.91%	14.57%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	CATY	SLM
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	14.32%	5.85%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	9.68%	9.17%
Total return CAGR (5Y)	10.99%	7.65%

Frequently asked

Which has the lower trailing P/E, CATY or SLM?: SLM has the lower trailing P/E: CATY trades at 11.75 and SLM at 6.32. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.
Which has grown faster, CATY or SLM?: Over the past five years, CATY grew revenue faster — CATY at a 14.32% CAGR versus SLM at 5.85%.
Does CATY or SLM pay a bigger dividend?: CATY yields 2.45% and SLM yields 2.29% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.
Is CATY or SLM more profitable?: CATY runs the higher net margin — CATY at 24.97% versus SLM at 23.97%.
How have CATY and SLM total returns compared?: Over the past 10 years, CATY delivered 10.27% and SLM delivered 13.41% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full CATY analysis Full SLM analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

Cathay General Bancorp P/E ratio SLM P/E ratio Cathay General Bancorp dividend yield SLM dividend yield Cathay General Bancorp ROE SLM ROE Cathay General Bancorp operating margin SLM operating margin Cathay General Bancorp revenue growth SLM revenue growth

Cathay General Bancorp & SLM appear in these rankings

Highest Dividend Yield Stocks Highest ROE Stocks Highest Operating Margin Stocks Highest 10-Year Total Return Stocks

Figures are sourced from reported fundamentals and the latest end-of-day price. This comparison is informational only and is not investment advice. Past performance does not predict future results. See our methodology. Compiled by TGMCharts Research · data verified October 6, 2026.