Navient Co. (NASDAQ:NAVI) Receives Average Recommendation of "Reduce" from Brokerages

Shares of Navient Co. (NASDAQ:NAVI - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of "Reduce" from the eight ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $12.93.

A number of research firms have weighed in on NAVI. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Navient from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Navient from $14.00 to $12.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 21st. TD Securities lifted their target price on Navient from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Navient from $11.00 to $12.50 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday. 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.

Navient Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of NAVI traded up $0.24 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $12.77. 271,397 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 774,320. 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 company's 50 day moving average is $12.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is $13.77. The company has a market capitalization of $1.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.00 and a beta of 1.24. Navient has a 52 week low of $10.53 and a 52 week high of $16.97.

Navient (NASDAQ:NAVI - Get Free Report) last posted 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. Navient had a net margin of 2.96% and a return on equity of 6.69%. The business had revenue of $156.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $150.40 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.47 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Navient will post 1.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Navient Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were given a $0.16 dividend. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. Navient's payout ratio is currently 55.17%.

Institutional Trading of Navient

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Teacher Retirement System of Texas purchased a new stake in shares of Navient during the first quarter valued at $149,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Navient by 55.9% during the 1st quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 10,608 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $134,000 after purchasing an additional 3,802 shares during the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC increased its holdings in shares of Navient by 18.5% in the first quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 56,612 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $715,000 after purchasing an additional 8,838 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Navient by 2,663.1% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,096 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $102,000 after purchasing an additional 7,803 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Navient by 47.4% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,315,841 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $17,488,000 after purchasing an additional 423,013 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.14% of the company's stock.

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.