Navient Corporation (NASDAQ:NAVI) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Reduce" by Analysts

Navient Corporation (NASDAQ:NAVI - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of "Reduce" by the eight brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have assigned a hold recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $13.71.

A number of analysts have recently commented on NAVI shares. TD Cowen cut Navient from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Navient from $12.50 to $15.50 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on Navient from $14.00 to $12.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on Navient from $14.00 to $16.50 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, TD Securities lifted 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.

Institutional Trading of Navient

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd increased its position in shares of Navient by 29.7% during the 1st quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd now owns 2,311,785 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $29,198,000 after purchasing an additional 528,716 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in Navient by 7.3% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,954,896 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $24,690,000 after buying an additional 132,313 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in shares of Navient by 14.6% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,567,466 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $20,832,000 after purchasing an additional 199,937 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Navient by 10.9% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,459,166 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $18,429,000 after purchasing an additional 143,325 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Navient by 32.6% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,439,903 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $18,186,000 after purchasing an additional 353,898 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.14% of the company's stock.

Navient Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of NAVI stock traded up $0.18 during trading on Friday, hitting $14.79. 933,593 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 766,858. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.58 and a beta of 1.40. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $13.88 and its 200 day simple moving average is $13.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.56, a quick ratio of 9.88 and a current ratio of 9.88. Navient has a twelve month low of $10.53 and a twelve 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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.19 by $0.09. Navient had a net margin of 1.37% and a return on equity of 5.20%. The business had revenue of $156.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $150.40 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.47 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Navient will post 1.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Navient Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 6th were given a dividend of $0.16 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 6th. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.33%. Navient's dividend payout ratio is presently 128.00%.

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.