The analysis reads accumulation. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved down 0.8% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is momentum reading bullish. Over the past year the shares are up 14%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (1 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $135. Since the last review it its composite score eased.
Nelnet, Inc.
NNI · the NYSE · USD · Market cap $4.5B · 5,744 employees
Nelnet, Inc.
FAIL · Does not pass the screenPrice as of 23 Oct 2026Daily close, not a live quoteLast reviewed 6 days ago
Screened 2026-10-23 · the tape above runs as of 04:01 UTC · two dates, stated on purpose · verdict and workings shown in full · never trimmed
Key facts today
- Price122.59 USD at the 23 Oct 2026 close
- Ethical screenDoes not pass
- OptionsOpen interest leans heavily to calls (put/call 0.00)
- Last reviewed23 Oct 2026 (6 days ago)
A summary of the dated readings below, not a live quote and not advice.
What this means: price 122.59 against the desk's fair-value range, base estimate 101.12, over the last year.
- Trend Accumulation
- Insiders no filings inside 60 days, left as found
- Positioning no disclosures inside 60 days, left as found
- Options put/call open interest 0.00, read 2026-10-25
- Ethical does not pass the values gate
Our analytic regime reads on this name, dated and marked against the screened price. Small sample per name, and separate from the daily-framework accuracy on the Track Record page.
This name holds its accumulation label.
Nelnet, Inc. holds its Accumulation at $122.59. Consolidating, no directional conviction, held for 63 days.
| Phase | Accumulation |
| Quantitative state | Consolidating, no directional conviction, held for 63 days |
| Price at the screen | $122.59 |
| Valuation | 14.95 trailing · 14.72 forward price to earnings |
| Values screen | FAIL · score 30.0 |
| Beta | 0.77 |
Five Screens, Shown in Full
Does not pass. Prohibited keyword in sector/industry: financial services
| Test | Figure | Limit | What it means | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business activity | Excluded | Core business clean | Prohibited keyword in sector/industry: financial services | Fail |
| Debt load | Excluded | Below 33% | Interest-bearing debt is of its assets, above the one-third ceiling the screen allows. | Fail |
| Interest-bearing cash | Excluded | Below 33% | Interest-bearing cash and securities are of assets, above the one-third limit. | Fail |
| Receivables | Excluded | Below 49% | Money owed to the company is of assets, above the 49% limit. | Fail |
| Revenue purity | Excluded | Below 5% | of revenue comes from non-compliant sources, over the 5% line. | Fail |
Five checks adapted from AAOIFI screening standards: business activity plus four balance-sheet ratios. All five must pass for ethical clearance. Every figure is arithmetic on public accounts, not judgement.
The Ethical ReadWhy It Falls Short, in Plain English
Nelnet, does not clear the screen at the business-activity stage. It operates in conventional financial services, which the screen treats as interest-based, so the financial ratios are not the deciding factor here.
Read as at 2026-10-28. It updates when the underlying figures move, and past reads are kept below.
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Today NNI does not pass the screen. If new figures move it to a pass, we send you one short email with the before and after. Verdicts change rarely, so you may not hear from us for a long time.
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The Fair Value Range
Fair value range in USD, drawn from the 2026-10-23 screen. The gold marker is the market price at the same screen. The price runs 17.5% above the base estimate.
Reading the gap · Both our model and the Street see limited upside at this price.
Price History & ProjectionsWhere it has been, where the models see it going. History from market close data; projection points are our fair-value estimates and third-party analyst targets, dated to the 2026-10-23 screen.
Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; the Street's range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.
The Business, in Plain WordsStudent loan servicer trips our ethics screen
Picture a family in Nebraska sorting out student debt payments each month. Nelnet handles that flow through loan servicing and education payments, yet the business lands straight on our prohibited list because it sits inside financial services. We pass before weighing anything else.
The shares trade at 14 times forward earnings against a fair value 18 percent lower than the current price. Revenue is already shrinking 7 percent and return on equity sits at just 11 percent, so the modest profit margin offers little cushion. One analyst calls it a hold with a target barely above where it sits today.
Any recovery in volumes would still leave the ethical block in place, and the low return on equity hints that growth may stay muted even if rates ease. The combination leaves nothing to pursue. Analysis, not advice.
| Forward P/E | 14.7xreasonably valued |
| Trailing P/E | 14.9xreasonably valued |
| EPS, trailing | 8.37 |
| EPS, forward | 8.50 |
| Revenue growth | -30.5%revenue is shrinking |
| Profit margin | 20.3%healthy profit margins |
| Return on equity | 6.8%a modest return on shareholder capital |
| Dividend yield | 99.00% |
| Debt to equity | 1.94a meaningful debt load worth watching |
| Current ratio | 3.63comfortably covers its short-term bills |
| Beta | 0.77steadier than the market |
| Short interest, float | 0.05% |
| 52-week range | 116.62 - 144.38 |
| Market cap | $4.5B |
| Employees | 5,744 |
The risks · The things to watch: it carries a real debt load, which raises the stakes if revenue slips.
Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.
Where & How to TradeNNI trades on the NYSE. As a listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering its home market. New to this, or investing from abroad? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.
Every Entry, As Written
The analysis reads accumulation. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved up 1.6% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 0% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bearish. Over the past year the shares are up 14%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (1 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $135.
The framework has shifted from markdown to accumulation since the last review. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 0% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bearish. Over the past year the shares are up 14%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (1 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $135.
Our analysis reads markdown. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 2.9% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 0% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bearish. Over the past year the shares are up 14%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (1 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $135.
The framework has shifted from accumulation to markdown since the last review. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 5.3% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 0% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bearish. Over the past year the shares are up 14%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (1 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $135.
The framework has shifted from distribution to accumulation since the last review. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved up 3.5% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 0% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bearish. Over the past year the shares are up 14%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (1 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $135.
Our analysis reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 0% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bearish. Over the past year the shares are up 14%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (1 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $135.
Our analysis reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns.
Our analysis reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns.
Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.
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Headlines from third-party outlets, linked for reference: not our reporting, not advice.
Screened names in the same industry · explore each on its own page.
| Date | Politician | Party | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-11 | Byron Donalds | Republican | sell | 1K–15K |
| 2026-08-11 | Byron Donalds | Republican | sell | 1K–15K |
| 2026-08-11 | Byron Donalds | Republican | sell | 1K–15K |
| 2026-08-11 | Byron Donalds | Republican | sell | 1K–15K |
| 2026-08-11 | Byron Donalds | Republican | sell | 1K–15K |
| Period | Price then | Price return | Divs per share | $1,000 became | Total return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | $122.21 | +6.5% | $0.33 | $1,068 | +6.8% |
| 2 months | $131.96 | -1.4% | $0.33 | $989 | -1.1% |
| 3 months | $129.64 | +0.4% | $0.33 | $1,006 | +0.6% |
| 6 months | $132.45 | -1.7% | $0.66 | $988 | -1.2% |
| 1 year | $113.93 | +14.2% | $1.29 | $1,154 | +15.4% |
| 2 years | $98.12 | +32.6% | $2.41 | $1,351 | +35.1% |
| 3 years | $97.14 | +34.0% | $3.51 | $1,376 | +37.6% |
| 5 years | $73.56 | +76.9% | $5.47 | $1,844 | +84.4% |
Historical returns from market close data. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
This entry now belongs to the ledger. Whatever NNI does next, these words stay.
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