Nelnet, Inc. (NYSE:NNI) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Nelnet, Inc. (NYSE:NNI - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 280,800 shares, a growth of 17.9% from the March 15th total of 238,100 shares. Approximately 1.7% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 51,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.4 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com raised Nelnet from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. KBC Group NV acquired a new position in shares of Nelnet in the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc acquired a new position in Nelnet in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in Nelnet by 1,293.1% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 404 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 375 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Nelnet by 796.0% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 448 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 398 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC grew its position in shares of Nelnet by 20.3% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 556 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 33.51% of the company's stock.

Nelnet Price Performance

NYSE:NNI traded down $1.07 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $105.90. 47,623 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 60,177. Nelnet has a 1 year low of $93.69 and a 1 year high of $127.32. The company has a market cap of $3.84 billion, a PE ratio of 34.84 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.78, a quick ratio of 31.47 and a current ratio of 31.47. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $110.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $110.26.

Nelnet (NYSE:NNI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The credit services provider reported $1.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.23 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $401.61 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $335.00 million. Nelnet had a return on equity of 3.78% and a net margin of 5.54%. Sell-side analysts expect that Nelnet will post 4.52 EPS for the current year.

Nelnet Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $0.28 per share. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Nelnet's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.40%.

Nelnet Company Profile

Nelnet, Inc engages in loan servicing, communications, education technology, services, and payment processing businesses worldwide. The Loan Servicing and Systems segment provides loan conversion, application processing, borrower updates, customer service, payment processing, due diligence procedures, funds management reconciliation, and claim processing services.