Nelnet (NYSE:NNI) Stock Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Shares of Nelnet, Inc. (NYSE:NNI) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $129.63 and traded as high as $133.70. Nelnet shares last traded at $132.17, with a volume of 114,628 shares.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Nelnet in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Zacks Research raised shares of Nelnet from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Nelnet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $140.00.

Nelnet Price Performance

The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $133.67 and a 200-day simple moving average of $129.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.75 billion, a PE ratio of 11.11 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 28.98 and a quick ratio of 28.98.

Nelnet (NYSE:NNI) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The credit services provider reported $2.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.52 by $1.43. Nelnet had a net margin of 18.96% and a return on equity of 12.58%. The company had revenue of $427.76 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $372.00 million. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Nelnet, Inc. will post 4.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Nelnet Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.33 per share. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. Nelnet’s dividend payout ratio is 11.09%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Nelnet news, Director Deun Jona M. Van sold 400 shares of Nelnet stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.95, for a total value of $51,580.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 704 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $90,780.80. This trade represents a 36.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 50.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nelnet

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Nelnet in the second quarter worth about $29,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Nelnet by 189.8% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 368 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 241 shares during the period. Osaic Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Nelnet by 170.3% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 373 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares during the last quarter. State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in Nelnet in the second quarter worth about $62,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Nelnet by 137.3% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 541 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $66,000 after acquiring an additional 313 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 33.51% of the company’s stock.

About Nelnet

Nelnet, Inc (NYSE: NNI) is a diversified education services company founded in 1978 and headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska. Originally established as the National Education Loan Network by Michael S. Dunlap, the company has grown into a prominent provider of student loan servicing and education finance solutions in the United States.

At the core of Nelnet’s business is student loan servicing, where it administers and manages federal and private education loans on behalf of borrowers and lending partners.