AlphaQuest LLC Lowers Stock Position in Navient Co. (NASDAQ:NAVI)

AlphaQuest LLC trimmed its position in Navient Co. (NASDAQ:NAVI) by 47.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 10,605 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 9,397 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Navient were worth $141,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. KBC Group NV grew its position in Navient by 47.0% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 4,355 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $68,000 after buying an additional 1,392 shares during the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in Navient by 12.6% in the third quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 14,173 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $221,000 after acquiring an additional 1,587 shares during the period. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC lifted its holdings in Navient by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 47,774 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $635,000 after acquiring an additional 2,190 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Navient by 13.7% in the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 18,192 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $284,000 after acquiring an additional 2,194 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Navient by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 374,879 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $4,982,000 after acquiring an additional 3,445 shares during the period. 97.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Navient Stock Performance

Navient stock opened at $13.41 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $13.78 and its 200 day moving average price is $14.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.37 billion, a PE ratio of 11.56 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.35, a quick ratio of 9.49 and a current ratio of 9.48. Navient Co. has a one year low of $12.73 and a one year high of $17.56.

Navient (NASDAQ:NAVI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The credit services provider reported $0.25 EPS 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 expect that Navient Co. will post 1.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Navient Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a $0.16 dividend. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.77%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. Navient’s payout ratio is 55.17%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NAVI has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com downgraded Navient from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Navient from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Bank of America lowered their price target on Navient from $17.00 to $16.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Navient from $15.00 to $13.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Navient has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $13.90.

Navient 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.