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Is Navient (NAVI) Stock a Suitable Pick for Value Investors?
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Value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. After all, who wouldn’t want to find stocks that are either flying under the radar and are compelling buys, or offer up tantalizing discounts when compared to fair value?
One way to find these companies is by looking at several key metrics and financial ratios, many of which are crucial in the value stock selection process. Let’s put Navient Corporation (NAVI - Free Report) stock into this equation and find out if it is a good choice for value-oriented investors right now, or if investors subscribing to this methodology should look elsewhere for top picks:
PE Ratio
A key metric that value investors always look at is the Price to Earnings Ratio, or PE for short. This shows us how much investors are willing to pay for each dollar of earnings in a given stock, and is easily one of the most popular financial ratios in the world. The best use of the PE ratio is to compare the stock’s current PE ratio with: a) where this ratio has been in the past; b) how it compares to the average for the industry/sector; and c) how it compares to the market as a whole.
On this front, Navient has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 4.12, as you can see in the chart below:
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
This level actually compares pretty favorably with the market at large, as the PE for the S&P 500 stands at about 27.78. If we focus on the long-term PE trend, Navient’s current PE level puts it below its midpoint over the past five years.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Further, the stock’s PE also compares favorably with the industry’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 9.01. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
However, we should point out that Navient has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of 4.45, so we might say that the forward earnings estimates indicate that the company’s share price will likely appreciate in the near future.
P/S Ratio
Another key metric to note is the Price/Sales ratio. This approach compares a given stock’s price to its total sales, where a lower reading is generally considered better. Some people like this metric more than other value-focused ones because it looks at sales, something that is far harder to manipulate with accounting tricks than earnings.
Right now, Navient has a P/S ratio of about 0.91. This is significantly lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 5.19 right now. As we can see in the chart below, this is above the median for this stock in particular over the past few years.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
NAVI is actually in the higher zone of its trading range in the time period per the P/S metric, which suggests that the company’s stock price has already appreciated to some degree, relative to its sales.
Broad Value Outlook
In aggregate, Navient currently has a Zacks Value Style Score of B, putting it into the top 40% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes Navient a solid choice for value investors, and some of its other key metrics make this pretty clear too.
For example, its P/CF ratio (another great indicator of value) comes in at 5.32, which is better than the industry average of 8.00. Clearly, NAVI is a solid choice on the value front from multiple angles.
What About the Stock Overall?
Though Navient might be a good choice for value investors, there are plenty of other factors to consider before investing in this name. In particular, it is worth noting that the company has a Growth grade of B and a Momentum score of F. This gives NAVI a Zacks VGM score—or its overarching fundamental grade—of B. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here >>)
Meanwhile, the company’s recent earnings estimates have been encouraging. The current quarter has seen two estimates go higher in the past sixty days compared to none lower, while the full year estimate has seen four upward and zero downward revisions in the same time period.
As a result, the current quarter consensus estimate has risen by 4.9% in the past two months, while the full year estimate has increased 32.1%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:
This favorable trend is why the stock has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and why we are looking for outperformance from the company in the near term.
Bottom Line
Navient is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. With a formidable industry rank (among the Top 16%) and strong Zacks Rank, Navient looks like a strong value contender. In fact, over the past one year, the industry has clearly outperformed the broader market, as you can see below:
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
So, it might pay for value investors to delve deeper into the company’s prospects, as fundamentals indicate that this stock could be a compelling pick.
5 Stocks Set to Double
Each was hand-picked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2020. Each comes from a different sector and has unique qualities and catalysts that could fuel exceptional growth.
Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor.
Image: Bigstock
Is Navient (NAVI) Stock a Suitable Pick for Value Investors?
Value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. After all, who wouldn’t want to find stocks that are either flying under the radar and are compelling buys, or offer up tantalizing discounts when compared to fair value?
One way to find these companies is by looking at several key metrics and financial ratios, many of which are crucial in the value stock selection process. Let’s put Navient Corporation (NAVI - Free Report) stock into this equation and find out if it is a good choice for value-oriented investors right now, or if investors subscribing to this methodology should look elsewhere for top picks:
PE Ratio
A key metric that value investors always look at is the Price to Earnings Ratio, or PE for short. This shows us how much investors are willing to pay for each dollar of earnings in a given stock, and is easily one of the most popular financial ratios in the world. The best use of the PE ratio is to compare the stock’s current PE ratio with: a) where this ratio has been in the past; b) how it compares to the average for the industry/sector; and c) how it compares to the market as a whole.
On this front, Navient has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 4.12, as you can see in the chart below:
This level actually compares pretty favorably with the market at large, as the PE for the S&P 500 stands at about 27.78. If we focus on the long-term PE trend, Navient’s current PE level puts it below its midpoint over the past five years.
Further, the stock’s PE also compares favorably with the industry’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 9.01. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.
However, we should point out that Navient has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of 4.45, so we might say that the forward earnings estimates indicate that the company’s share price will likely appreciate in the near future.
P/S Ratio
Another key metric to note is the Price/Sales ratio. This approach compares a given stock’s price to its total sales, where a lower reading is generally considered better. Some people like this metric more than other value-focused ones because it looks at sales, something that is far harder to manipulate with accounting tricks than earnings.
Right now, Navient has a P/S ratio of about 0.91. This is significantly lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 5.19 right now. As we can see in the chart below, this is above the median for this stock in particular over the past few years.
NAVI is actually in the higher zone of its trading range in the time period per the P/S metric, which suggests that the company’s stock price has already appreciated to some degree, relative to its sales.
Broad Value Outlook
In aggregate, Navient currently has a Zacks Value Style Score of B, putting it into the top 40% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes Navient a solid choice for value investors, and some of its other key metrics make this pretty clear too.
For example, its P/CF ratio (another great indicator of value) comes in at 5.32, which is better than the industry average of 8.00. Clearly, NAVI is a solid choice on the value front from multiple angles.
What About the Stock Overall?
Though Navient might be a good choice for value investors, there are plenty of other factors to consider before investing in this name. In particular, it is worth noting that the company has a Growth grade of B and a Momentum score of F. This gives NAVI a Zacks VGM score—or its overarching fundamental grade—of B. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here >>)
Meanwhile, the company’s recent earnings estimates have been encouraging. The current quarter has seen two estimates go higher in the past sixty days compared to none lower, while the full year estimate has seen four upward and zero downward revisions in the same time period.
As a result, the current quarter consensus estimate has risen by 4.9% in the past two months, while the full year estimate has increased 32.1%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:
Navient Corporation Price and Consensus
Navient Corporation price-consensus-chart | Navient Corporation Quote
This favorable trend is why the stock has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and why we are looking for outperformance from the company in the near term.
Bottom Line
Navient is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. With a formidable industry rank (among the Top 16%) and strong Zacks Rank, Navient looks like a strong value contender. In fact, over the past one year, the industry has clearly outperformed the broader market, as you can see below:
So, it might pay for value investors to delve deeper into the company’s prospects, as fundamentals indicate that this stock could be a compelling pick.
5 Stocks Set to Double
Each was hand-picked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2020. Each comes from a different sector and has unique qualities and catalysts that could fuel exceptional growth.
Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor.
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