Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VOYA) Shares Acquired by Meritage Portfolio Management

Meritage Portfolio Management lifted its position in Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VOYA) by 65.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 13,769 shares of the asset manager’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,455 shares during the period. Meritage Portfolio Management’s holdings in Voya Financial were worth $948,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VOYA. Hennessy Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Voya Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $47,155,000. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Voya Financial by 25.9% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,884,044 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $228,474,000 after purchasing an additional 592,523 shares during the period. Leeward Investments LLC MA acquired a new stake in shares of Voya Financial during the third quarter worth about $19,269,000. Basswood Capital Management L.L.C. purchased a new stake in Voya Financial in the third quarter valued at approximately $8,944,000. Finally, Bridgewater Associates LP increased its holdings in Voya Financial by 281.8% in the 3rd quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 84,315 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $6,679,000 after buying an additional 62,232 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on VOYA shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Voya Financial from $87.00 to $82.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on shares of Voya Financial from $94.00 to $89.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Voya Financial from $79.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $83.00 price objective (down previously from $91.00) on shares of Voya Financial in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on Voya Financial from $90.00 to $85.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Voya Financial has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $82.18.

Voya Financial Stock Up 5.6 %

Voya Financial stock opened at $72.23 on Thursday. Voya Financial, Inc. has a 12 month low of $63.11 and a 12 month high of $84.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.95 billion, a PE ratio of 11.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.31 and a quick ratio of 0.31. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $71.24 and a 200-day simple moving average of $74.10.

Voya Financial (NYSE:VOYA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The asset manager reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.15 by ($0.65). Voya Financial had a return on equity of 15.09% and a net margin of 8.81%. On average, analysts anticipate that Voya Financial, Inc. will post 7.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Voya Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.49%. Voya Financial’s payout ratio is currently 28.66%.

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.