Nelnet (NNI) Stock Price, News & Analysis

Company Overview

Nelnet, Inc. (NYSE: NNI) is a diversified education services company founded in 1978 and headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska. Originally established as the National Education Loan Network by Michael S. Dunlap, the company has grown into a prominent provider of student loan servicing and education finance solutions in the United States.

At the core of Nelnet’s business is student loan servicing, where it administers and manages federal and private education loans on behalf of borrowers and lending partners. The company handles billing, repayment processing, customer service and default prevention efforts under servicing agreements with the U.S. Department of Education and private financial institutions.

In addition to loan servicing, Nelnet offers a suite of education-related products and services through its Business Services segment. These include tuition payment and school administration software for K–12 and higher education institutions, online payment processing platforms and campus bookstore solutions. The company’s technology platforms are used by schools and districts across multiple states to streamline financial operations and enhance the student experience.

Beyond servicing and software, Nelnet’s Asset Management segment invests in and manages education-related receivables, while the company also explores growth opportunities in renewable energy and community banking. Through its broad portfolio of services, Nelnet aims to support educational access, improve operational efficiency for institutions and offer financial solutions that benefit families, schools and lending partners.

Key Stats

• Today's Range: $139.70 to $141.73
• 50-Day Range: $126.55 to $143.98
• 52-Week Range: $105.12 to $144.38
• Volume: 89,874 shs
• Average Volume: 128,215 shs
• Market Capitalization: $5.05 billion
• P/E Ratio: 11.97
• Dividend Yield: 0.94%
• Price Target: $140.00
• Consensus Rating: Buy

Nelnet Stock Analysis - MarketRank™

Nelnet scored higher than 56% of companies evaluated by MarketBeat, and ranked 589th out of 878 stocks in the finance sector. Scores are calculated by averaging available category scores, with extra weight given to analysis and valuation.

Analyst's Opinion

• Score: 1.7 / 5
• Analyst Rating: Buy

Consensus Rating

Nelnet has received a consensus rating of Buy. The company's average rating score is 3.00, and is based on 1 strong buy rating, 1 buy rating, 1 hold rating, and no sell ratings.

Upside/Downside

The consensus price target for Nelnet is close to its current price, suggesting limited near-term upside or downside.

Amount of Analyst Coverage

Nelnet has only been the subject of 1 research reports in the past 90 days.

Earnings and Valuation

• Score: 2.5 / 5
• Proj. Earnings Growth: 8.70%

Earnings Growth

Earnings for Nelnet are expected to grow by 8.70% in the coming year, from $9.20 to $10.00 per share.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. the Market

The P/E ratio of Nelnet is 11.94, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the market average P/E ratio of about 38.55.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. Sector

The P/E ratio of Nelnet is 11.94, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the Finance sector average P/E ratio of about 23.31.

Price to Book Value per Share Ratio

Nelnet has a P/B Ratio of 1.41. P/B Ratios below 3 indicates that a company is reasonably valued with respect to its assets and liabilities.

Short Interest

• Score: 4.0 / 5
• Short Interest Level: Healthy

Percentage of Shares Shorted

1.47% of the float of Nelnet has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

Nelnet has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 2.19, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in Nelnet has recently decreased by 1.70%, indicating that investor sentiment is improving.

Dividend

• Score: 1.7 / 5
• Dividend Strength: Weak

Dividend Yield

Nelnet has a dividend yield of 0.93%, which is in the bottom 25% of all stocks that pay dividends.

Dividend Growth

Nelnet does not have a long track record of dividend growth.

Dividend Coverage

The dividend payout ratio of Nelnet is 11.21%. This payout ratio is at a healthy, sustainable level, below 75%.

Dividend Sustainability

Based on earnings estimates, Nelnet will have a dividend payout ratio of 13.20% next year. This indicates that Nelnet will be able to sustain or increase its dividend.

News and Social Media

• Score: 2.0 / 5
• News Sentiment: 0.21

News Sentiment

Nelnet has a news sentiment score of 0.21. This score is calculated as an average of sentiment of articles about the company over the last seven days and ranges from 2 (good news) to -2 (bad news). This is a lower news sentiment than the 0.71 average news sentiment score of Finance companies.

News Coverage This Week

MarketBeat has tracked 5 news articles for Nelnet this week, compared to 2 articles on an average week.

Company Ownership

• Score: 1.1 / 5
• Insider Trading: N/A

Insider Buying vs. Insider Selling

In the past three months, Nelnet insiders have not sold or bought any company stock.

Percentage Held by Insiders

40.30% of the stock of Nelnet is held by insiders. A high percentage of insider ownership can be a sign of company health.

Percentage Held by Institutions

33.51% of the stock of Nelnet is held by institutions.

NNI Stock Analysis - Frequently Asked Questions

How have NNI shares performed this year?

Nelnet's stock was trading at $132.84 at the start of the year. Since then, NNI shares have increased by 5.8% and is now trading at $140.52.

How were Nelnet's earnings last quarter?

Nelnet, Inc. (NYSE:NNI) released its earnings results on Thursday, February, 26th. The credit services provider reported $1.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.07. The credit services provider had revenue of $392.76 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $382 million. Nelnet had a net margin of 18.99% and a trailing twelve-month return on equity of 12.43%.

How will Nelnet's stock buyback program work?

Nelnet's board approved a stock buyback program on Thursday, May 8th 2025, which allows the company to buy back 5,000,000 shares, according to EventVestor. This allows the company to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Who are Nelnet's major shareholders?

Top institutional shareholders of Nelnet include General American Investors Co. Inc. (0.65%), Bar Harbor Wealth Management (0.30%), SG Americas Securities LLC (0.02%) and QRG Capital Management Inc. (0.01%). Insiders that own company stock include Kathleen Anne Farrell, Thomas Edward Henning, William J Munn, Deun Jona M Van and Shelby J Butterfield.
View institutional ownership trends.

How do I buy shares of Nelnet?

Shares of NNI stock can be purchased through any online brokerage account. Popular online brokerages with access to the U.S. stock market include Charles Schwab, E*TRADE, Fidelity, and Vanguard Brokerage Services.

What other stocks do shareholders of Nelnet own?

Based on aggregate information from My MarketBeat watchlists, some other companies that Nelnet investors own include NVIDIA (NVDA), Meta Platforms (META), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Netflix (NFLX), Tesla (TSLA), Visa (V) and JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM).

Company Calendar

• Last Earnings: 2/26/2026
• Record date for 3/13 Dividend: 2/27/2026
• Ex-Dividend for 3/13 Dividend: 2/27/2026
• Dividend Payable: 3/13/2026
• Today: 5/05/2026
• Next Earnings (Estimated): 5/07/2026
• Fiscal Year End: 12/31/2026

Industry, Sector and Symbol

• Stock Exchange: NYSE
• Sector: Finance
• Industry: FIN - CONS LOANS
• Sub-Industry: Consumer Finance
• Current Symbol: NYSE:NNI
• CIK: 1258602
• Web: www.nelnet.com
• Phone: (402) 458-2370
• Fax: 402-458-2344
• Employees: 5,744
• Year Founded: 1978

Price Target and Rating

• Average Price Target for Nelnet: $140.00
• High Price Target: $140.00
• Low Price Target: $140.00
• Potential Upside/Downside: -0.6%
• Consensus Rating: Buy
• Rating Score (0-4): 3.00
• Research Coverage: 3 Analysts

Profitability

• EPS (Trailing Twelve Months): $11.77
• Trailing P/E Ratio: 11.97
• Forward P/E Ratio: 15.31
• P/E Growth: N/A
• Net Income: $428.47 million
• Net Margins: 18.99%
• Pretax Margin: 23.33%
• Return on Equity: 12.43%
• Return on Assets: 3.12%

Debt

• Debt-to-Equity Ratio: 2.18
• Current Ratio: 28.27
• Quick Ratio: 28.27

Sales & Book Value

• Annual Sales: $2.26 billion
• Price / Sales: 2.24
• Cash Flow: $14.58 per share
• Price / Cash Flow: 9.66
• Book Value: $99.71 per share
• Price / Book: 1.41

Miscellaneous

• Outstanding Shares: 35,880,000
• Free Float: 21,417,000
• Market Cap: $5.05 billion
• Optionable: Optionable
• Beta: 0.83