Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VOYA) Shares Acquired by Easterly Investment Partners LLC

Easterly Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VOYA) by 29.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 110,202 shares of the asset manager’s stock after buying an additional 25,327 shares during the quarter. Easterly Investment Partners LLC owned about 0.11% of Voya Financial worth $7,585,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its position in shares of Voya Financial by 81.0% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 409 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the period. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Voya Financial by 207.0% during the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 485 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 327 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Voya Financial during the 4th quarter worth $41,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Voya Financial by 45.0% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 648 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of Voya Financial in the third quarter worth $79,000. 96.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Voya Financial Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE VOYA opened at $70.02 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. Voya Financial, Inc. has a 1-year low of $64.10 and a 1-year high of $84.30. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $70.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $74.48. The company has a market capitalization of $6.69 billion, a PE ratio of 11.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 1.03.

Voya Financial (NYSE:VOYA) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The asset manager reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.15 by ($0.65). Voya Financial had a return on equity of 14.10% and a net margin of 8.29%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Voya Financial, Inc. will post 8.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Voya Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.57%. Voya Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.41%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on VOYA. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Voya Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $76.00 to $87.00 in a research report on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Voya Financial from $87.00 to $82.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on Voya Financial from $90.00 to $85.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays downgraded shares of Voya Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on shares of Voya Financial from $94.00 to $89.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $83.55.

Voya Financial Profile

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.