Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VOYA) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VOYA) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the thirteen brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have given a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $82.08.

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on VOYA. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $88.00 price objective (up previously from $86.00) on shares of Voya Financial in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. Bank of America reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $71.00 price objective (down previously from $79.00) on shares of Voya Financial in a research report on Friday, March 28th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Voya Financial from $69.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Barclays set a $70.00 price objective on shares of Voya Financial in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Voya Financial from $89.00 to $88.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 23rd.

Voya Financial Stock Performance

Shares of VOYA stock opened at $72.90 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $66.67 and its 200-day simple moving average is $67.10. Voya Financial has a 52 week low of $52.43 and a 52 week high of $84.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The company has a market cap of $7.01 billion, a PE ratio of 13.75, a P/E/G ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.00.

Voya Financial (NYSE:VOYA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The asset manager reported $2.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.56. Voya Financial had a net margin of 7.18% and a return on equity of 14.05%. The firm had revenue of $1.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.94 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.77 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Voya Financial will post 8.39 EPS for the current year.

Voya Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th were given a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.47%. Voya Financial’s payout ratio is currently 33.96%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Yvette S. Butler sold 1,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.18, for a total transaction of $112,506.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 355 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,493.90. This represents a 82.73% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.99% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Voya Financial

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Voya Financial during the first quarter worth approximately $1,973,000. WBI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Voya Financial during the first quarter worth approximately $231,000. Westbourne Investments Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Voya Financial during the first quarter worth approximately $929,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Voya Financial by 44.0% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 730 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Voya Financial by 247.1% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 190,035 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $12,877,000 after purchasing an additional 135,292 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.10% of the company’s stock.

About Voya Financial

Voya Financial, Inc engages in the provision of workplace benefits and savings products in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Wealth Solutions, Health Solutions, and Investment Management. The Wealth Solutions segment offers full-service retirement products; recordkeeping services; stable value and fixed general account investment products; non-qualified plan administration services; and tools, guidance, and services to promote the financial well-being and retirement security of employees.