Navient Co. (NASDAQ:NAVI) Receives Average Recommendation of “Reduce” from Analysts

Navient Co. (NASDAQ:NAVI) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” from the ten ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and six have issued a hold recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $16.90.

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Navient in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $19.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Navient from $19.00 to $18.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 1st. StockNews.com lowered Navient from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. TD Cowen lowered Navient from a “market perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $17.00 to $15.00 in a report on Monday, January 8th. Finally, Stephens lowered Navient from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and set a $16.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, January 2nd.

Navient Price Performance

NAVI stock opened at $17.40 on Monday. Navient has a 1 year low of $14.10 and a 1 year high of $19.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.96 billion, a PE ratio of 9.78 and a beta of 1.38. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $16.66 and a 200-day simple moving average of $17.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 19.35, a current ratio of 13.64 and a quick ratio of 13.63.

Navient (NASDAQ:NAVI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by ($0.07). Navient had a net margin of 4.72% and a return on equity of 14.17%. The business had revenue of $193.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $210.76 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that Navient will post 2.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Navient Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were given a $0.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.68%. Navient’s payout ratio is currently 35.96%.

Insider Activity at Navient

In related news, EVP Mark L. Heleen sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.20, for a total value of $172,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 385,577 shares in the company, valued at $6,631,924.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 26.93% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Navient

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of Navient by 277.8% during the 3rd quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC now owns 1,511 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,111 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its stake in shares of Navient by 314.6% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,193 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 1,664 shares during the period. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Navient during the 2nd quarter valued at $39,000. Quarry LP lifted its holdings in shares of Navient by 299.1% during the 1st quarter. Quarry LP now owns 2,530 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 1,896 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Wyoming acquired a new position in shares of Navient during the 4th quarter valued at $62,000. 97.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.