UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Acquires 30,798 Shares of Navient Co. (NASDAQ:NAVI)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in Navient Co. (NASDAQ:NAVI - Free Report) by 19.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 192,867 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 30,798 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned about 0.18% of Navient worth $2,563,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted 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 acquiring an additional 2,176 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Navient in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $167,000. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP increased its stake in shares of Navient by 16.3% in the fourth quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP now owns 12,877 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $171,000 after purchasing an additional 1,804 shares during the period. Twinbeech Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Navient in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $173,000. Finally, AXQ Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Navient in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $196,000. Institutional investors own 97.14% of the company's stock.

Navient Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ NAVI traded up $0.18 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $13.76. 484,735 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 753,178. Navient Co. has a fifty-two week low of $10.53 and a fifty-two 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. The firm has a market cap of $1.39 billion, a PE ratio of 11.86 and a beta of 1.40. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $12.57 and a 200-day simple moving average of $13.42.

Navient (NASDAQ:NAVI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The credit services provider reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.19 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $156.00 million for 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 quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.47 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Navient Co. will post 1.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Navient Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 of this dividend is Friday, June 6th. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.65%. Navient's payout ratio is presently 128.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. TD Securities raised their price target on shares of Navient from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. 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. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of Navient from $14.00 to $12.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 21st. TD Cowen lowered shares of 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 objective 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. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average 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.