Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VOYA) Stake Increased by Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VOYA) by 121.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,480 shares of the asset manager’s stock after buying an additional 15,630 shares during the quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Voya Financial were worth $1,960,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Voya Financial by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 327,783 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $22,561,000 after acquiring an additional 11,336 shares in the last quarter. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors boosted its holdings in shares of Voya Financial by 420.8% during the fourth quarter. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors now owns 64,398 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $4,812,000 after purchasing an additional 52,032 shares during the period. KBC Group NV grew its position in Voya Financial by 260.5% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 9,384 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $646,000 after purchasing an additional 6,781 shares in the last quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Voya Financial in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $47,155,000. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its position in Voya Financial by 48.2% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 48,890 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $3,872,000 after buying an additional 15,902 shares in the last quarter. 96.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Voya Financial Stock Up 1.6 %

VOYA stock opened at $69.06 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a 50-day moving average of $70.37 and a two-hundred day moving average of $74.31. Voya Financial, Inc. has a 52-week low of $64.10 and a 52-week high of $84.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.30 and a quick ratio of 0.31.

Voya Financial (NYSE:VOYA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The asset manager reported $1.50 EPS 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, equities research analysts anticipate that Voya Financial, Inc. will post 8.39 EPS for the current year.

Voya Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 25th. Voya Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.41%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on shares of Voya Financial from $90.00 to $84.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on Voya Financial from $90.00 to $85.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley raised Voya Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $76.00 to $87.00 in a research note on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Voya Financial from $81.00 to $80.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Voya Financial from $94.00 to $89.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $82.83.

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.