Comprehensive Stock Comparison
Compare Nelnet, Inc. (NNI) vs JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) Stock
Analyze side-by-side fundamentals, valuation, growth, and profitability to decide which stock is the better buy.
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Quick Verdict
| Category | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Growth | JPM | 14.6% revenue growth vs NNI's -55.5% |
| Value | JPM | Lower P/E (13.9x vs 14.7x) |
| Quality / Margins | NNI | 32.4% net margin vs JPM's 21.6% |
| Stability / Safety | NNI | Beta 0.64 vs JPM's 1.00 |
| Dividends | NNI | 3.1% yield, 12-year raise streak, vs JPM's 1.7% |
| Momentum (1Y) | JPM | +15.7% vs NNI's +7.0% |
| Efficiency (ROA) | NNI | 3.0% ROA vs JPM's 1.3% |
Who Each Stock Is For
Income & stability
Growth exposure
Long-term compounding (10Y)
Sleep-well-at-night portfolio
Defensive / Recession hedge
Business Model
What each company does and how it makes money
Nelnet is a diversified financial services company focused primarily on student loan servicing and education technology. It generates revenue through loan servicing fees (its largest segment), education technology platforms, and payment processing services for educational institutions. The company's competitive advantage lies in its deep expertise in the complex student loan ecosystem and its established relationships with educational institutions and government agencies.
JPMorgan Chase is a global financial services giant that operates as a universal bank offering consumer banking, investment banking, commercial banking, and asset management services. It generates revenue primarily through net interest income from lending activities (about 50% of total revenue) and non-interest income from investment banking fees, trading, asset management, and card services. The company's key competitive advantage lies in its massive scale, diversified revenue streams, and fortress balance sheet—which together create significant barriers to entry and provide stability through economic cycles.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
How each company's revenue is distributed across its business units
Financial Metrics Comparison
Side-by-side fundamentals across 2 stocks. BestLagging
Financial Scorecard
NNI leads in 4 of 6 categories (Financial Metrics, Valuation Metrics). JPM leads in 1 (Total Returns). 1 tied.
Financial Metrics (TTM)
JPM is the larger business by revenue, generating $270.8B annually — 329.5x NNI's $822M. NNI is the more profitable business, keeping 32.4% of every revenue dollar as net income compared to JPM's 21.6%.
| Metric | NNINelnet, Inc. | JPMJPMorgan Chase & … |
|---|---|---|
| RevenueTrailing 12 months | $822M | $270.8B |
| EBITDAEarnings before interest/tax | $726M | $81.3B |
| Net IncomeAfter-tax profit | $428M | $58.0B |
| Free Cash FlowCash after capex | $267M | -$119.7B |
| Gross MarginGross profit ÷ Revenue | — | +58.6% |
| Operating MarginEBIT ÷ Revenue | — | +27.7% |
| Net MarginNet income ÷ Revenue | +32.4% | +21.6% |
| FCF MarginFCF ÷ Revenue | -9.5% | -15.5% |
| Rev. Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | — | — |
| EPS Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | -6.4% | +16.0% |
Valuation Metrics
| Metric | NNINelnet, Inc. | JPMJPMorgan Chase & … |
|---|---|---|
| Market CapShares × price | $1.4B | $809.7B |
| Enterprise ValueMkt cap + debt − cash | -$1.3B | $1.09T |
| Trailing P/EPrice ÷ TTM EPS | — | 15.21x |
| Forward P/EPrice ÷ next-FY EPS est. | 14.70x | 13.93x |
| PEG RatioP/E ÷ EPS growth rate | — | 1.17x |
| EV / EBITDAEnterprise value multiple | -1.75x | 13.15x |
| Price / SalesMarket cap ÷ Revenue | 1.67x | 2.99x |
| Price / BookPrice ÷ Book value/share | 0.88x | 2.51x |
| Price / FCFMarket cap ÷ FCF | — | — |
Profitability & Efficiency
NNI delivers a 27.3% return on equity — every $100 of shareholder capital generates $27 in annual profit, vs $16 for JPM. On the Piotroski fundamental quality scale (0–9), JPM scores 5/9 vs NNI's 3/9, reflecting solid financial health.
| Metric | NNINelnet, Inc. | JPMJPMorgan Chase & … |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM)Return on equity | +27.3% | +16.1% |
| ROA (TTM)Return on assets | +3.0% | +1.3% |
| ROICReturn on invested capital | — | +5.4% |
| ROCEReturn on capital employed | — | +8.2% |
| Piotroski ScoreFundamental quality 0–9 | 3 | 5 |
| Debt / EquityFinancial leverage | — | 2.18x |
| Net DebtTotal debt minus cash | -$2.6B | $281.8B |
| Cash & Equiv.Liquid assets | $2.6B | $469.3B |
| Total DebtShort + long-term debt | $0 | $751.1B |
| Interest CoverageEBIT ÷ Interest expense | 0.97x | 0.74x |
Total Returns (with DRIP)
A $10,000 investment in JPM five years ago would be worth $21,449 today (with dividends reinvested), compared to $18,187 for NNI. Over the past 12 months, JPM leads with a +15.7% total return vs NNI's +7.0%. The 3-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) favors JPM at 30.0% vs NNI's 12.4% — a key indicator of consistent wealth creation.
| Metric | NNINelnet, Inc. | JPMJPMorgan Chase & … |
|---|---|---|
| YTD ReturnYear-to-date | +0.6% | -7.3% |
| 1-Year ReturnPast 12 months | +7.0% | +15.7% |
| 3-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +41.9% | +119.7% |
| 5-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +81.9% | +114.5% |
| 10-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +267.6% | +497.7% |
| CAGR (3Y)Annualised 3-year return | +12.4% | +30.0% |
Risk & Volatility
NNI is the less volatile stock with a 0.64 beta — it tends to amplify market swings less than JPM's 1.00 beta. A beta below 1.0 means the stock typically moves less than the S&P 500.
| Metric | NNINelnet, Inc. | JPMJPMorgan Chase & … |
|---|---|---|
| Beta (5Y)Sensitivity to S&P 500 | 0.64x | 1.00x |
| 52-Week HighHighest price in past year | $142.87 | $337.25 |
| 52-Week LowLowest price in past year | $98.15 | $202.16 |
| % of 52W HighCurrent price vs 52-week peak | +90.6% | +89.0% |
| RSI (14)Momentum oscillator 0–100 | 50.1 | 48.1 |
| Avg Volume (50D)Average daily shares traded | 82K | 9.0M |
Analyst Outlook
Wall Street rates NNI as "Hold" and JPM as "Buy". For income investors, NNI offers the higher dividend yield at 3.13% vs JPM's 1.71%.
| Metric | NNINelnet, Inc. | JPMJPMorgan Chase & … |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst RatingConsensus buy/hold/sell | Hold | Buy |
| Price TargetConsensus 12-month target | — | $336.10 |
| # AnalystsCovering analysts | 3 | 60 |
| Dividend YieldAnnual dividend ÷ price | +3.1% | +1.7% |
| Dividend StreakConsecutive years of raises | 12 | 14 |
| Dividend / ShareAnnual DPS | $4.05 | $5.13 |
| Buyback YieldShare repurchases ÷ mkt cap | +5.0% | +3.5% |
Historical Charts
Charts are rendered on first load. Hover for details.
Chart 1Total Return — 5 Years (Rebased to 100)
| Stock | Mar 20 | Feb 26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nelnet, Inc. (NNI) | 100 | 264.56 | +164.6% |
| JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) | 100 | 263.46 | +163.5% |
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) returned +114% over 5 years vs Nelnet, Inc. (NNI)'s +82%. A $10,000 investment in JPM 5 years ago would be worth $21,449 today (including dividends reinvested).
Chart 2Revenue Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nelnet, Inc. (NNI) | $1.2B | $822M | -31.2% |
| JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) | $106.4B | $270.8B | +154.5% |
Nelnet, Inc.'s revenue grew from $1.2B (2016) to $822M (2025) — a -4.1% CAGR.
Chart 3Net Margin Trend — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nelnet, Inc. (NNI) | 21.5% | 32.4% | +50.7% |
| JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) | 23.2% | 21.6% | -7.1% |
Nelnet, Inc.'s net margin went from 22% (2016) to 32% (2025).
Chart 4P/E Ratio History — 8 Years
| Stock | 2017 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nelnet, Inc. (NNI) | 13.2 | 21.3 | +61.4% |
| JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) | 16.9 | 12.1 | -28.4% |
Nelnet, Inc. has traded in a 8x–37x P/E range over 8 years; current trailing P/E is ~21x. JPMorgan Chase & Co. has traded in a 10x–17x P/E range over 8 years; current trailing P/E is ~15x.
Chart 5EPS Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nelnet, Inc. (NNI) | 6.02 | 0 | -100.0% |
| JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) | 6.19 | 19.75 | +219.1% |
Nelnet, Inc.'s EPS grew from $6.02 (2016) to $0.00 (2025) — a -100% CAGR.
Chart 6Free Cash Flow — 5 Years
Nelnet, Inc. generated $-78M FCF in 2025 (-119% vs 2021). JPMorgan Chase & Co. generated $-42B FCF in 2024 (-154% vs 2021).
NNI vs JPM: Frequently Asked Questions
9 questions · data-driven answers · updated daily
01Is NNI or JPM a better buy right now?
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) offers the better valuation at 15.2x trailing P/E (13.9x forward), making it the more compelling value choice. Analysts rate JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) a "Buy" — based on 60 analyst ratings — the highest consensus in this comparison. The "better buy" depends entirely on your goals: growth investors should weight revenue trajectory, value investors should weight P/E and PEG, and income investors should weight dividend yield and streak.
02Which has the better valuation — NNI or JPM?
On forward P/E, JPMorgan Chase & Co. is actually cheaper at 13.9x.
03Which is the better long-term investment — NNI or JPM?
Over the past 5 years, JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) delivered a total return of +114.5%, compared to +81.9% for Nelnet, Inc. (NNI). A $10,000 investment in JPM five years ago would be worth approximately $21K today (assuming dividends reinvested). Over 10 years, the gap is even starker: JPM returned +497.7% versus NNI's +267.6%. Past returns do not guarantee future results, and the stock with the higher historical return may already have its best growth priced in.
04Which is safer — NNI or JPM?
By beta (market sensitivity over 5 years), Nelnet, Inc. (NNI) is the lower-risk stock at 0.64β versus JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s 1.00β — meaning JPM is approximately 56% more volatile than NNI relative to the S&P 500.
05Which has better profit margins — NNI or JPM?
Nelnet, Inc. (NNI) is the more profitable company, earning 32.4% net margin versus 21.6% for JPMorgan Chase & Co. — meaning it keeps 32.4% of every revenue dollar as bottom-line profit. Operating margin tells a similar story: JPM leads at 27.7% versus 0.0% for NNI. At the gross margin level — before operating expenses — JPM leads at 58.6%, reflecting greater pricing power or product mix advantage. Stronger margins indicate durable pricing power, lower cost of revenue, or higher mix of software/services. They are one of the clearest signs of business quality.
06Is NNI or JPM more undervalued right now?
On forward earnings alone, JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) trades at 13.9x forward P/E versus 14.7x for Nelnet, Inc. — 0.8x cheaper on a one-year earnings basis.
07Which pays a better dividend — NNI or JPM?
All stocks in this comparison pay dividends. Nelnet, Inc. (NNI) offers the highest yield at 3.1%, versus 1.7% for JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM).
08Is NNI or JPM better for a retirement portfolio?
For long-horizon retirement investors, Nelnet, Inc. (NNI) is the stronger choice — it scores higher on the combination of lower volatility, dividend reliability, and long-term compounding (low volatility (β 0.64), 3.1% yield, +267.6% 10Y return). Both have compounded well over 10 years (NNI: +267.6%, JPM: +497.7%), confirming both are viable long-term holds — but the lower-volatility option typically results in less emotional selling during corrections. Retirement portfolios generally favour predictability over maximum returns. Consult a financial advisor before making allocation decisions.
09What are the main differences between NNI and JPM?
Both stocks operate in the Financial Services sector, making this a peer-level intra-sector comparison — the same macro tailwinds and headwinds will affect both. In terms of investment character: NNI is a small-cap income-oriented stock; JPM is a large-cap deep-value stock. These fundamental differences mean investors should not choose between them on a single metric — the "better stock" depends entirely on which of these characteristics aligns with your investment strategy.
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