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: $117.04 to $132.22
• 50-Day Range: $126.55 to $143.98
• 52-Week Range: $107.45 to $144.38
• Volume: 132,040 shs
• Average Volume: 126,761 shs
• Market Capitalization: $4.26 billion
• P/E Ratio: 10.11
• Dividend Yield: 1.11%
• Price Target: $140.00
• Consensus Rating: Hold

Nelnet Stock Analysis - MarketRank™

Nelnet scored higher than 72% of companies evaluated by MarketBeat, and ranked 647th 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: 3.0 / 5
• Analyst Rating: Hold

Consensus Rating

Nelnet has received a consensus rating of Hold. The company's average rating score is 2.33, and is based on no strong buy ratings, 1 buy rating, 2 hold ratings, and no sell ratings.

Upside Potential

Nelnet has a consensus price target of $140.00, representing about 17.4% upside from its current price of $119.21.

Amount of Analyst Coverage

Nelnet has only been the subject of 2 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 10.08, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the market average P/E ratio of about 38.41.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. Sector

The P/E ratio of Nelnet is 10.08, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the Finance sector average P/E ratio of about 23.19.

Price to Book Value per Share Ratio

Nelnet has a P/B Ratio of 1.20. 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 0.94%, 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: 1.1 / 5
• News Sentiment: -0.28

News Sentiment

Nelnet has a news sentiment score of -0.28. 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 0.68 average news sentiment score of Finance companies.

News Coverage This Week

MarketBeat has tracked 12 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.

Company Calendar

• Record date for 3/13 Dividend: 2/27/2026
• Ex-Dividend for 3/13 Dividend: 2/27/2026
• Dividend Payable: 3/13/2026
• Last Earnings: 5/07/2026
• Today: 5/08/2026
• Record date for 6/15 Dividend: 6/01/2026
• Ex-Dividend for 6/15 Dividend: 6/01/2026
• Dividend Payable: 6/15/2026
• 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: +16.6%
• Consensus Rating: Hold
• Rating Score (0-4): 2.33
• Research Coverage: 3 Analysts

Profitability

• EPS (Trailing Twelve Months): $11.77
• Trailing P/E Ratio: 10.24
• Forward P/E Ratio: 13.05
• 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: 1.91
• Cash Flow: $12.53 per share
• Price / Cash Flow: 9.58
• Book Value: $99.71 per share
• Price / Book: 1.20

Miscellaneous

• Outstanding Shares: 35,880,000
• Free Float: 21,417,000
• Market Cap: $4.31 billion
• Optionable: Optionable
• Beta: 0.83