Navient (NASDAQ:NAVI) Sets New 12-Month Low – What’s Next?

Navient Co. (NASDAQ:NAVI)’s share price hit a new 52-week low on Monday . The company traded as low as $12.74 and last traded at $12.76, with a volume of 253758 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $12.95.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Navient from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Barclays increased their target price on Navient from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Bank of America reduced their price target on Navient from $17.00 to $16.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Navient from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Navient from $15.00 to $13.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Navient currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $14.58.

Navient Stock Up 2.4 %

The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $14.43 and a 200-day moving average price of $15.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.59, a current ratio of 9.49 and a quick ratio of 9.49. The company has a market capitalization of $1.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.90 and a beta of 1.43.

Navient (NASDAQ:NAVI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The credit services provider reported $1.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 quarter last year, the business earned $0.84 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Navient Co. will post 2.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Navient Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 6th were given a dividend of $0.16 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 6th. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.66%. Navient’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 92.75%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Navient news, EVP Stephen M. Hauber sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.00, for a total transaction of $150,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 256,883 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,853,245. This represents a 3.75 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 27.99% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Navient in the third quarter valued at $1,398,000. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund acquired a new stake in shares of Navient in the 3rd quarter valued at about $511,000. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new stake in Navient in the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,327,000. Barclays PLC raised its stake in Navient by 59.0% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 284,130 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,429,000 after buying an additional 105,454 shares during the period. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in Navient in the third quarter worth approximately $714,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.14% of the company’s stock.

Navient Company 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.