Navient (NASDAQ:NAVI) Shares Up 5.4% - Still a Buy?

Navient Co. (NASDAQ:NAVI - Get Free Report) shot up 5.4% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $13.09 and last traded at $12.89. 337,337 shares were traded 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.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on NAVI. Seaport Res Ptn raised Navient from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered 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 raised Navient from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. StockNews.com lowered Navient from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Navient from $13.50 to $11.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Navient currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $12.83.

Navient Trading Up 1.6 %

The firm has a fifty day moving average of $12.66 and a two-hundred day moving average of $13.80. The company has a market cap of $1.26 billion, a PE ratio of 10.69 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a current ratio of 9.48, a quick ratio of 9.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.35.

Navient (NASDAQ:NAVI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The credit services provider reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.26 by ($0.01). Navient had a return on equity of 6.69% and a net margin of 2.96%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Navient Co. will post 1.04 EPS for the current year.

Navient Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were issued a $0.16 dividend. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.15%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. Navient's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 55.17%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Navient

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. boosted its stake in Navient by 43.1% in the 4th quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. now owns 395,948 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $5,262,000 after purchasing an additional 119,317 shares during the period. Aigen Investment Management LP bought a new position in Navient in the 4th quarter worth about $258,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 423,013 shares during the period. EMC Capital Management boosted its stake in Navient by 2,193.7% in the 4th quarter. EMC Capital Management now owns 20,276 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $269,000 after purchasing an additional 19,392 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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 acquiring an additional 209,744 shares during the last quarter. 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.

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