Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Acquires New Stake in Navient Co. (NASDAQ:NAVI)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in shares of Navient Co. (NASDAQ:NAVI - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 239,417 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,182,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned approximately 0.22% of Navient at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. grew its position in Navient by 43.1% in the fourth quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. now owns 395,948 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $5,262,000 after acquiring an additional 119,317 shares in the last quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP bought a new stake in Navient during the fourth quarter worth about $258,000. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in shares of Navient by 69.4% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 667,372 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $8,869,000 after purchasing an additional 273,483 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of Navient by 143.0% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 356,405 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $4,737,000 after purchasing an additional 209,744 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dark Forest Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Navient during the 4th quarter valued at about $321,000. 97.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Navient Trading Up 0.1%

NASDAQ:NAVI traded up $0.01 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $13.57. 259,477 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 765,381. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $12.49 and a 200-day moving average price of $13.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.71 and a beta of 1.38. 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 Co. has a 12-month low of $10.53 and a 12-month high of $16.97.

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

Navient Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 dividend of $0.16 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 6th. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.72%. Navient's payout ratio is 128.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NAVI has been the topic of several recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price 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. TD Securities upped their price target on shares of Navient from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group decreased 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Navient from $11.00 to $12.50 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, TD Cowen lowered Navient from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock 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.