Navient (NASDAQ:NAVI) Stock Passes Below Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Navient Co. (NASDAQ:NAVI)’s stock price crossed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $15.06 and traded as low as $13.04. Navient shares last traded at $13.08, with a volume of 961,755 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on NAVI. StockNews.com raised Navient from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Navient from $15.50 to $15.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Barclays upped their price target 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. 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, November 1st. Finally, Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Navient from $17.00 to $16.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Navient presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $15.43.

Navient Price Performance

The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $14.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $15.06. The company has a market capitalization of $1.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.96 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a current ratio of 9.49, a quick ratio of 9.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.59.

Navient (NASDAQ:NAVI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The credit services provider reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by $1.20. The firm had revenue of $1.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $150.04 million. Navient had a return on equity of 8.62% and a net margin of 1.71%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.84 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Navient Co. will post 2.47 EPS for the current year.

Navient Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 6th were given a dividend of $0.16 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 6th. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.89%. Navient’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 92.75%.

Insider Transactions at Navient

In related news, EVP Stephen M. Hauber sold 10,000 shares of Navient stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.00, for a total value of $150,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 256,883 shares in the company, valued at $3,853,245. The trade was a 3.75 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 27.99% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Navient

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