Comprehensive Stock Comparison
Compare Nelnet, Inc. (NNI) vs Navient Corporation SR NT 6% 121543 (JSM) 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 | JSM | 229.5% revenue growth vs NNI's -55.5% |
| Value | NNI | Lower P/E (14.7x vs 16.1x) |
| Quality / Margins | NNI | 32.4% net margin vs JSM's 3.4% |
| Stability / Safety | JSM | Beta 0.20 vs NNI's 0.64 |
| Dividends | NNI | 3.1% yield, 12-year raise streak, vs JSM's 3.3% |
| Momentum (1Y) | JSM | +7.7% vs NNI's +7.0% |
| Efficiency (ROA) | NNI | 3.0% ROA vs JSM's -0.1% |
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.
Navient is a financial services company that manages and services education loans and provides business processing solutions. It makes money primarily through interest income from its portfolio of federal and private student loans — roughly 80% from federal loans and 20% from private loans — supplemented by servicing fees and business processing revenue. Its key advantage is its scale as one of the largest student loan servicers with deep expertise in the complex federal loan system and established government contracts.
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 3 of 6 categories (Financial Metrics, Profitability & Efficiency). JSM leads in 2 (Valuation Metrics, Risk & Volatility). 1 tied.
Financial Metrics (TTM)
JSM is the larger business by revenue, generating $3.8B annually — 4.6x NNI's $822M. NNI is the more profitable business, keeping 32.4% of every revenue dollar as net income compared to JSM's 3.4%.
| Metric | NNINelnet, Inc. | JSMNavient Corporati… |
|---|---|---|
| RevenueTrailing 12 months | $822M | $3.8B |
| EBITDAEarnings before interest/tax | $726M | $3.9B |
| Net IncomeAfter-tax profit | $428M | -$50M |
| Free Cash FlowCash after capex | $267M | $275M |
| Gross MarginGross profit ÷ Revenue | — | +91.7% |
| Operating MarginEBIT ÷ Revenue | — | +73.9% |
| Net MarginNet income ÷ Revenue | +32.4% | +3.4% |
| FCF MarginFCF ÷ Revenue | -9.5% | +12.1% |
| Rev. Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | — | — |
| EPS Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | -6.4% | -46.0% |
Valuation Metrics
| Metric | NNINelnet, Inc. | JSMNavient Corporati… |
|---|---|---|
| Market CapShares × price | $1.4B | $5.3B |
| Enterprise ValueMkt cap + debt − cash | -$1.3B | $46.4B |
| Trailing P/EPrice ÷ TTM EPS | — | 16.14x |
| Forward P/EPrice ÷ next-FY EPS est. | 14.70x | — |
| PEG RatioP/E ÷ EPS growth rate | — | — |
| EV / EBITDAEnterprise value multiple | -1.75x | 21.29x |
| Price / SalesMarket cap ÷ Revenue | 1.67x | 1.39x |
| Price / BookPrice ÷ Book value/share | 0.88x | 0.80x |
| Price / FCFMarket cap ÷ FCF | — | 11.57x |
Profitability & Efficiency
NNI delivers a 27.3% return on equity — every $100 of shareholder capital generates $27 in annual profit, vs $-2 for JSM. On the Piotroski fundamental quality scale (0–9), JSM scores 8/9 vs NNI's 3/9, reflecting strong financial health.
| Metric | NNINelnet, Inc. | JSMNavient Corporati… |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM)Return on equity | +27.3% | -2.1% |
| ROA (TTM)Return on assets | +3.0% | -0.1% |
| ROICReturn on invested capital | — | +4.1% |
| ROCEReturn on capital employed | — | +5.4% |
| Piotroski ScoreFundamental quality 0–9 | 3 | 8 |
| Debt / EquityFinancial leverage | — | 16.35x |
| Net DebtTotal debt minus cash | -$2.6B | $3.0B |
| Cash & Equiv.Liquid assets | $2.6B | $2.1B |
| Total DebtShort + long-term debt | $0 | $43.2B |
| Interest CoverageEBIT ÷ Interest expense | 0.97x | 0.17x |
Total Returns (with DRIP)
A $10,000 investment in NNI five years ago would be worth $18,187 today (with dividends reinvested), compared to $11,072 for JSM. Over the past 12 months, JSM leads with a +7.7% total return vs NNI's +7.0%. The 3-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) favors NNI at 12.4% vs JSM's 6.8% — a key indicator of consistent wealth creation.
| Metric | NNINelnet, Inc. | JSMNavient Corporati… |
|---|---|---|
| YTD ReturnYear-to-date | +0.6% | -3.8% |
| 1-Year ReturnPast 12 months | +7.0% | +7.7% |
| 3-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +41.9% | +22.0% |
| 5-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +81.9% | +10.7% |
| 10-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +267.6% | +96.6% |
| CAGR (3Y)Annualised 3-year return | +12.4% | +6.8% |
Risk & Volatility
JSM is the less volatile stock with a 0.20 beta — it tends to amplify market swings less than NNI's 0.64 beta. A beta below 1.0 means the stock typically moves less than the S&P 500. JSM currently trades 93.8% from its 52-week high vs NNI's 90.6% drawdown — a narrower gap to the peak suggests stronger recent price momentum.
| Metric | NNINelnet, Inc. | JSMNavient Corporati… |
|---|---|---|
| Beta (5Y)Sensitivity to S&P 500 | 0.64x | 0.20x |
| 52-Week HighHighest price in past year | $142.87 | $20.65 |
| 52-Week LowLowest price in past year | $98.15 | $16.51 |
| % of 52W HighCurrent price vs 52-week peak | +90.6% | +93.8% |
| RSI (14)Momentum oscillator 0–100 | 50.1 | 45.8 |
| Avg Volume (50D)Average daily shares traded | 82K | 19K |
Analyst Outlook
Wall Street rates NNI as "Hold" and JSM as "Hold". For income investors, JSM offers the higher dividend yield at 3.32% vs NNI's 3.13%.
| Metric | NNINelnet, Inc. | JSMNavient Corporati… |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst RatingConsensus buy/hold/sell | Hold | Hold |
| Price TargetConsensus 12-month target | — | $17.50 |
| # AnalystsCovering analysts | 3 | 2 |
| Dividend YieldAnnual dividend ÷ price | +3.1% | +3.3% |
| Dividend StreakConsecutive years of raises | 12 | 3 |
| Dividend / ShareAnnual DPS | $4.05 | $0.64 |
| Buyback YieldShare repurchases ÷ mkt cap | +5.0% | +3.4% |
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 | 255.17 | +155.2% |
| Navient Corporation… (JSM) | 100 | 85.89 | -14.1% |
Nelnet, Inc. (NNI) returned +82% over 5 years vs Navient Corporation… (JSM)'s +11%. A $10,000 investment in NNI 5 years ago would be worth $18,187 today (including dividends reinvested).
Chart 2Revenue Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nelnet, Inc. (NNI) | $1.2B | $822M | -31.2% |
| Navient Corporation… (JSM) | $4.1B | $3.8B | -8.1% |
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% |
| Navient Corporation… (JSM) | 16.4% | 3.4% | -79.1% |
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% |
| Navient Corporation… (JSM) | 22.9 | 14.8 | -35.4% |
Nelnet, Inc. has traded in a 8x–37x P/E range over 8 years; current trailing P/E is ~21x. Navient Corporation SR NT 6% 121543 has traded in a 4x–23x P/E range over 8 years; current trailing P/E is ~16x.
Chart 5EPS Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nelnet, Inc. (NNI) | 6.02 | 0 | -100.0% |
| Navient Corporation… (JSM) | 2.11 | 1.2 | -43.1% |
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). Navient Corporation SR NT 6% 121543 generated $459M FCF in 2024 (-35% vs 2021).
NNI vs JSM: Frequently Asked Questions
7 questions · data-driven answers · updated daily
01Is NNI or JSM a better buy right now?
Navient Corporation SR NT 6% 121543 (JSM) offers the better valuation at 16.1x trailing P/E, making it the more compelling value choice. Analysts rate Nelnet, Inc. (NNI) a "Hold" — based on 3 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 is the better long-term investment — NNI or JSM?
Over the past 5 years, Nelnet, Inc. (NNI) delivered a total return of +81.9%, compared to +10.7% for Navient Corporation SR NT 6% 121543 (JSM). A $10,000 investment in NNI five years ago would be worth approximately $18K today (assuming dividends reinvested). Over 10 years, the gap is even starker: NNI returned +267.6% versus JSM's +96.6%. Past returns do not guarantee future results, and the stock with the higher historical return may already have its best growth priced in.
03Which is safer — NNI or JSM?
By beta (market sensitivity over 5 years), Navient Corporation SR NT 6% 121543 (JSM) is the lower-risk stock at 0.20β versus Nelnet, Inc.'s 0.64β — meaning NNI is approximately 214% more volatile than JSM relative to the S&P 500.
04Which has better profit margins — NNI or JSM?
Nelnet, Inc. (NNI) is the more profitable company, earning 32.4% net margin versus 3.4% for Navient Corporation SR NT 6% 121543 — meaning it keeps 32.4% of every revenue dollar as bottom-line profit. Operating margin tells a similar story: JSM leads at 73.9% versus 0.0% for NNI. At the gross margin level — before operating expenses — JSM leads at 91.7%, 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.
05Which pays a better dividend — NNI or JSM?
All stocks in this comparison pay dividends. Navient Corporation SR NT 6% 121543 (JSM) offers the highest yield at 3.3%, versus 3.1% for Nelnet, Inc. (NNI).
06Is NNI or JSM better for a retirement portfolio?
For long-horizon retirement investors, Navient Corporation SR NT 6% 121543 (JSM) is the stronger choice — it scores higher on the combination of lower volatility, dividend reliability, and long-term compounding (low volatility (β 0.20), 3.3% yield). Both have compounded well over 10 years (JSM: +96.6%, NNI: +267.6%), 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.
07What are the main differences between NNI and JSM?
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; JSM is a small-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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