Navient Corporation NAVI completed the divestiture of its Government Services business (“NGS”) to Gallant Capital Partners.

NGS includes Navient Business Processing Group, Duncan Solutions, Gila (D.B.A. Municipal Services Bureau), Pioneer Credit Recovery and Navient BPO. Across its various segments, NGS provides tech-enabled processing, collections and record lookups for tolling and parking authorities, outsourced government program management and support, government agency revenue management, and end-to-end payment processing solutions.

Around 1,200 employees are transferring with those businesses as part of the deal, which allows Navient to fully exit the business processing solution space.

Rationale Behind NAVI’s Sale of NGS Unit

NGS has been part of Navient’s broader portfolio, offering various services suited to its client's needs in the education and government sectors. NAVI’s divestiture of this business enables it to focus on core operations in education finance and business processing solutions.

By offloading this segment, Navient is expected to enhance its operational efficiency and financial performance.

Navient’s Other Efforts to Improve Operating Efficiency

The company aims to improve operating efficiency by undertaking various cost control initiatives. Its expenses declined, seeing a compound annual growth rate of 3.2% over the last five years (ended 2024). The company’s ongoing cost-reduction efforts are encouraging. In January 2024, it announced plans to undertake growth initiatives, including three major actions to reduce overall costs.

In sync with this, NAVI entered a servicing outsourcing agreement with MOHELA in April 2024. Outsourcing is a key facilitator of its ability to achieve lasting expense reduction. Nearly 900 Navient employees have now transferred to MOHELA, and its variable cost-servicing model is in effect.

Navient implemented a flatter organizational structure in the second quarter of 2024 to achieve its objectives, focusing on servicing and BPS transitions, expense reductions, and preparing for an 80-90% decline in employee count. Such moves are likely to reduce its expense base and spur bottom-line growth.

NAVI’s Price Performance & Zacks Rank

In the past six months, Navient shares have declined 11% against the industry’s rise of 30.3%.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Currently, the company carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Similar Steps by Other Financial Firms

In February 2025, Barclays BCS completed the sale of its German consumer finance business, Consumer Bank Europe, to BAWAG P.S.K., a subsidiary of Austria-based BAWAG Group AG. This move aligns with the company’s plan to streamline its operations as outlined in the Investor Update in February 2024.

This sale is part of BCS’s broader strategy to exit retail banking in Europe, responding to shifts in consumer behavior post-pandemic. In addition to the German sale, Barclays has announced plans to enhance digital banking services in the U.K. and expand its corporate and investment banking presence globally, including new ventures in Asia.

HSBC Holdings HSBC is actively restructuring its operations in Germany to focus more on its growth strategy in Asia. In sync with this, in September 2024, the company signed an agreement to sell its private banking business in Germany to BNP Paribas. The deal's financial terms, expected to close in the third quarter of 2025, have not been disclosed.

The transaction, still subject to relevant regulatory approvals, is projected to result in a gain on sale for HSBC. It will help simplify the company’s business model and enable it to focus on the global “wholesale banking business.”

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report

Barclays PLC (BCS) : Free Stock Analysis Report

HSBC Holdings plc (HSBC) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Navient Corporation (NAVI) : Free Stock Analysis Report

This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

Zacks Investment Research