Two Sigma Advisers LP Boosts Stock Position in Navient Co. (NASDAQ:NAVI)

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

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Navient Price Performance

Shares of NAVI traded up $0.01 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $13.57. 199,714 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 752,185. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.35, a quick ratio of 9.49 and a current ratio of 9.48. The company has a market cap of $1.37 billion, a PE ratio of 11.70 and a beta of 1.38. Navient Co. has a 52-week low of $10.53 and a 52-week high of $16.97. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $12.49 and a two-hundred day moving average of $13.47.

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

Navient Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be issued a $0.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 6th. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.72%. Navient's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 128.00%.

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.