North Star Asset Management Inc. Cuts Stake in Navient Co. (NASDAQ:NAVI)

North Star Asset Management Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of Navient Co. (NASDAQ:NAVI - Free Report) by 19.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 135,911 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 32,900 shares during the quarter. North Star Asset Management Inc. owned approximately 0.13% of Navient worth $1,806,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of NAVI. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Navient by 815.0% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 2,443 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 2,176 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Navient during the fourth quarter worth about $167,000. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP boosted its position 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 during the period. Twinbeech Capital LP purchased a new position in shares of Navient in the fourth quarter worth about $173,000. Finally, AXQ Capital LP bought a new stake in shares of Navient in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $196,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.14% of the company's stock.

Navient Price Performance

Shares of NAVI traded down $0.13 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $13.47. 166,068 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 765,551. Navient Co. has a 12 month low of $10.53 and a 12 month high of $16.97. The company has a current ratio of 9.48, a quick ratio of 9.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.35. The stock has a market cap of $1.36 billion, a PE ratio of 11.59 and a beta of 1.38. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $12.45 and its 200-day simple moving average is $13.52.

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

Navient Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 20th. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th will be given a $0.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 6th. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.75%. Navient's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 128.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on NAVI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective 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. TD Securities boosted their price objective on Navient from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Navient from $14.00 to $12.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. TD Cowen downgraded Navient from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on shares of Navient from $16.00 to $14.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 31st. Three 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average 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.