Navient (NASDAQ:NAVI) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

Navient (NASDAQ:NAVI) was upgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday.

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

Navient Price Performance

Shares of Navient stock traded down $0.24 on Friday, hitting $13.99. The company had a trading volume of 702,822 shares, compared to its average volume of 784,376. Navient has a 52 week low of $13.95 and a 52 week high of $19.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.59, a current ratio of 9.49 and a quick ratio of 9.99. The company has a market cap of $1.53 billion, a PE ratio of 20.28 and a beta of 1.39. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $15.62 and a 200-day simple moving average of $15.31.

Institutional Trading of Navient

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NAVI. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Navient by 4.1% in the first quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 16,794 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $292,000 after buying an additional 668 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in Navient by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 46,534 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $678,000 after acquiring an additional 722 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC boosted its position in Navient by 22.1% during the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 4,797 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $70,000 after acquiring an additional 869 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd grew its stake in Navient by 23.1% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 6,245 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $109,000 after acquiring an additional 1,173 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wedge Capital Management L L P NC increased its holdings in shares of Navient by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 45,584 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $711,000 after purchasing an additional 1,218 shares during the period. 97.14% of the stock is 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.