Navient (NASDAQ:NAVI) Upgraded 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 report issued on Friday.

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

Navient Stock Down 1.7 %

NAVI stock traded down $0.24 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $13.99. The stock had a trading volume of 702,822 shares, compared to its average volume of 784,376. Navient has a 1-year low of $13.95 and a 1-year high of $19.68. The company has a fifty day moving average of $15.62 and a 200 day moving average of $15.31. The company has a current ratio of 9.49, a quick ratio of 9.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.28 and a beta of 1.39.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Navient

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in NAVI. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in Navient in the 1st quarter worth $4,813,000. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System increased its stake in Navient by 178.8% during the first quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 73,578 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,177,000 after acquiring an additional 47,189 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in Navient by 265.4% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 128,690 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,239,000 after acquiring an additional 93,469 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Navient by 102,163.1% in the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 85,901 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,251,000 after acquiring an additional 85,817 shares during the period. Finally, UniSuper Management Pty Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Navient during the 1st quarter worth approximately $344,000. 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.