Navient (NASDAQ:NAVI) Trading 5.4% Higher - Should You Buy?

Navient Co. (NASDAQ:NAVI - Get Free Report) shot up 5.4% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $13.09 and last traded at $12.89. 337,337 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 56% from the average session volume of 772,768 shares. The stock had previously closed at $12.23.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NAVI has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Navient from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Navient from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on Navient from $16.00 to $14.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 31st. TD Cowen lowered Navient from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Navient from $14.00 to $12.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Navient presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $12.93.

Navient Trading Up 1.8 %

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 firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $12.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $13.73. The stock has a market cap of $1.29 billion, a PE ratio of 11.00 and a beta of 1.38.

Navient (NASDAQ:NAVI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.47 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Navient Co. will post 1.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Navient Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th were paid a dividend of $0.16 per share. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.02%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. Navient's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 128.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Navient

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in Navient by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,822,583 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $24,222,000 after buying an additional 109,229 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in Navient by 14.6% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,567,466 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $20,832,000 after purchasing an additional 199,937 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in Navient by 47.4% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,315,841 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $17,488,000 after buying an additional 423,013 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in shares of Navient by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,149,599 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $15,278,000 after buying an additional 10,788 shares during the period. Finally, Bridgeway Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Navient by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 917,232 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $12,190,000 after acquiring an additional 22,765 shares during the period. 97.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.