Navient Co. (NASDAQ:NAVI) Shares Bought by Janus Henderson Group PLC

Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its holdings in Navient Co. (NASDAQ:NAVI - Free Report) by 557.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 316,699 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 268,520 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned about 0.29% of Navient worth $4,207,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Navient by 815.0% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 2,443 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 2,176 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Navient during the fourth quarter valued at $167,000. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP raised its holdings in Navient by 16.3% during the fourth quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP now owns 12,877 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $171,000 after purchasing an additional 1,804 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC lifted its position in Navient by 757.3% in the fourth quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 14,737 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $196,000 after purchasing an additional 13,018 shares during the period. Finally, AXQ Capital LP acquired a new stake in Navient in the fourth quarter worth approximately $196,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.14% of the company's stock.

Navient Price Performance

Shares of Navient stock opened at $13.76 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $1.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.86 and a beta of 1.38. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $12.45 and a 200-day simple moving average of $13.59. Navient Co. has a 52-week low of $10.53 and a 52-week high of $16.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.35, a current ratio of 9.48 and a quick ratio of 9.49.

Navient (NASDAQ:NAVI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The credit services provider reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.19 by $0.09. Navient had a net margin of 2.96% and a return on equity of 6.69%. The company had revenue of $156.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $150.40 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.47 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Navient Co. will post 1.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Navient Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.16 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 6th. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.65%. Navient's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 128.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on NAVI shares. TD Cowen lowered Navient from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Navient from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Navient from $11.00 to $12.50 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of Navient from $14.00 to $12.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on Navient from $16.00 to $14.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 31st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $12.93.

Navient Company Profile

Navient Corporation provides technology-enabled education finance and business processing solutions for education, health care, and government clients in the United States. It operates through three segments: Federal Education Loans, Consumer Lending, and Business Processing. The company owns Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) loans that are insured or guaranteed by state or not-for-profit agencies; and performs servicing on its portfolios, as well as federal education loans held by other institutions.

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