Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VOYA) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VOYA) has been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the thirteen analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $82.08.

Several research firms recently commented on VOYA. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on Voya Financial from $80.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Voya Financial from $94.00 to $89.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Voya Financial from $69.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Bank of America reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and issued a $71.00 price objective (down previously from $79.00) on shares of Voya Financial in a research note on Friday, March 28th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on Voya Financial from $90.00 to $85.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd.

Voya Financial Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VOYA opened at $68.97 on Friday. Voya Financial has a 1-year low of $52.43 and a 1-year 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. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $62.81 and a 200-day moving average price of $70.04. The company has a market capitalization of $6.64 billion, a PE ratio of 11.27, a PEG ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 0.95.

Voya Financial (NYSE:VOYA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The asset manager reported $2.15 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.56. Voya Financial had a return on equity of 14.10% and a net margin of 8.29%. The company had revenue of $1.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.94 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.77 earnings per share. Voya Financial’s revenue was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Voya Financial will post 8.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Voya Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 27th. Voya Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 33.96%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Voya Financial

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in VOYA. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in shares of Voya Financial by 81.0% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 409 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position 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 buying an additional 327 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Voya Financial in the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Voya Financial in the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings 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 valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares during the period. 96.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Voya Financial Company 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.