Nelnet, Inc. (NYSE:NNI) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

17 Mar 2026, 01:46 by Sarita Garza · The Markets Daily

Nelnet, Inc. (NYSE:NNI – Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 275,834 shares, an increase of 22.3% from the February 12th total of 225,557 shares. Currently, 1.6% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 110,936 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.5 days. Based on an average daily volume of 110,936 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.5 days. Currently, 1.6% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on NNI. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Nelnet in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Nelnet from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $140.00.

View Our Latest Stock Report on Nelnet

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nelnet

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. UBS Group AG lifted its holdings in shares of Nelnet by 66.4% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 191,826 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $24,051,000 after purchasing an additional 76,534 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in shares of Nelnet by 28.9% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 184,316 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $23,110,000 after purchasing an additional 41,302 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Nelnet by 29.7% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 172,088 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $20,843,000 after buying an additional 39,417 shares during the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd grew its stake in shares of Nelnet by 66.4% in the 2nd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 96,840 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $11,729,000 after buying an additional 38,628 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP increased its holdings in Nelnet by 421.7% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 46,474 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $5,629,000 after buying an additional 37,566 shares during the last quarter. 33.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Nelnet Stock Performance

NNI traded down $1.44 during trading on Monday, reaching $128.41. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 181,357 shares, compared to its average volume of 103,668. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $132.08 and its 200-day moving average price is $130.59. The company has a market capitalization of $4.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.91 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 28.27 and a current ratio of 28.27. Nelnet has a 52-week low of $98.15 and a 52-week high of $142.87.

Nelnet (NYSE:NNI – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The credit services provider reported $1.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by ($0.07). Nelnet had a net margin of 18.99% and a return on equity of 12.43%. The company had revenue of $390.43 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $382.00 million. On average, equities analysts forecast that Nelnet will post 4.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Nelnet Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th were given a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 27th. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Nelnet’s payout ratio is presently 11.21%.

About Nelnet

(Get Free Report)

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.