Navient (NASDAQ:NAVI) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Navient (NASDAQ:NAVI) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning.

A number of other analysts have also commented on NAVI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Navient from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Navient from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Navient from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of Navient from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Navient in a research report on Monday, September 30th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $17.00 target price for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $15.78.

Navient Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of Navient stock opened at $14.20 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.59, a quick ratio of 9.99 and a current ratio of 9.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.52 billion, a PE ratio of 20.58 and a beta of 1.39. Navient has a 52-week low of $13.71 and a 52-week high of $19.68. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $15.54 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $15.26.

Navient (NASDAQ:NAVI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The credit services provider reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by $1.20. Navient had a net margin of 1.71% and a return on equity of 8.62%. The firm had revenue of $1.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $150.04 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.84 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Navient will post 1.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Navient Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 6th were issued a $0.16 dividend. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.51%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 6th. Navient’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 92.75%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Navient

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in Navient during the first quarter valued at $36,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Navient during the second quarter valued at $50,000. Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in Navient by 22.1% during the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 4,797 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 869 shares in the last quarter. nVerses Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Navient during the third quarter valued at $87,000. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Navient during the third quarter valued at $95,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.14% of the company’s stock.

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.