Two Sigma Advisers LP Acquires 31,100 Shares of Navient Co. (NASDAQ:NAVI)

Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its stake in shares of Navient Co. (NASDAQ:NAVI - Free Report) by 149.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 51,900 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 31,100 shares during the quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP's holdings in Navient were worth $690,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in shares of Navient by 59.0% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 284,130 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $4,429,000 after purchasing an additional 105,454 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in Navient by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 467,232 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $6,210,000 after buying an additional 22,765 shares in the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP grew its position in Navient by 46.2% during the fourth quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 21,526 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $286,000 after buying an additional 6,800 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers increased its stake in Navient by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 343,341 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $4,563,000 after acquiring an additional 18,760 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Navient by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 374,879 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $4,982,000 after acquiring an additional 3,445 shares in the last quarter. 97.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Navient Price Performance

NASDAQ:NAVI traded down $0.11 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $13.45. The company had a trading volume of 382,196 shares, compared to its average volume of 753,379. The company has a quick ratio of 9.49, a current ratio of 9.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.35. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $12.52 and a two-hundred day moving average of $13.45. Navient Co. has a one year low of $10.53 and a one year high of $16.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.36 billion, a PE ratio of 11.59 and a beta of 1.38.

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

Navient Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.16 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 6th. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.76%. Navient's dividend payout ratio is 128.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on NAVI shares. TD Securities raised their price objective on Navient from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Navient from $11.00 to $12.50 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of Navient from $16.00 to $14.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 31st. TD Cowen cut shares of Navient from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective 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. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $12.93.

About Navient

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.